The Falcon Flies Again
by Rhys
Summary: Vector Prime is over. But...are they sure Chewbacca's dead...? And if he weren't, then...
1. Default Chapter

The Falcon Flies Again **__**

The Falcon Flies Again

I do not own this. I wish I did, but I do not. _Star Wars_ belongs to George Lucas. And the "glorified fanfiction"—that's all it is, truly!—that I'm rebuttaling…Vector Prime(eew)…belongs to a certain piece of Sithspawn known as R.A. Salvator. Nothing in this story is supposed to resemble any real people, events, or institutions, and any such resemblance is merely coincidental, and should not be taken seriously.

SUMMARY: After the events of _Vector Prime_…

A long time ago, in the galaxy far, far away…

A new evil is rising. Hard to find, and hard to see, it shrouds itself in myths and pain. Few who have seen it at work live to tell…and a hero of the Rebellion and the Republic may become its next victim. The Dark Side consumes and destroys all it touches. Can the Skywalker-Solo clan survive its horrific touch?

Han Solo, broken hearted from his recent traumatic experience, blinded to the sufferings and concern of his family and friends, strikes out in the _Falcon_ trying to patch his life back together. What he finds will defy his wildest dreams…

****

CHAPTER ONE

Chewie slowly opened his eyes. Then shut them abruptly. "Arrorowwroogh," he moaned. His furry head felt like someone had just shoved it inside the _Falcon_'s engine and taken off. In fact…Life-debt or no life-debt, Anakin Solo would be _very_ sorry about this. Not even a Jedi-trainee could do this to Chewie for practice—at least, they couldn't with _two_ arms…

Chewbacca was right. Anakin _was_ very sorry. Not for cramming Chewie in the engine to shut him up while the boy tinkered with the Falcon, but for not being able to get the Wookiee off-planet in time…And Anakin would never get the chance to apologize, either. Chewie, Han Solo's best friend, a hero of the Rebellion, the greatest uncle a kid could have, and idol of Kashyakk, was dead. Killed. Suicided. Murdered. However you said it, nothing changed.

Anakin felt like going to get a lightsaber, sticking it in his mouth, and thumbing the trigger. Somehow, though, he had the idea it wouldn't work. Dad would think he was running away, mom would be ready to kill dad, Jaina and Jacen would be really sad—and angry, too—and his Uncle Luke would probably find a way to stop him from doing it at all. _Maybe a blaster would work better_…But how would I get the blaster?

Han Solo had gone a little farther than his son. He actually had the blaster by his ear, was pulling the trigger, than flinched and dropped it. "C'mon, pal, be a sport…" Han's voice trailed off. There _was_ no pal to pull the blaster away and give him a kick big enough to throw him through the bulkhead. There was no pal, _period_. Right now, Han didn't give a Sith that Anakin felt like scum. He didn't worry about his other two kids, his wife, or all his friends. All he though about was Chewie. The big buddy who was no more. Han grabbed for his blaster—and successfully rammed his head into the top of his bunk. 

_Man_, he thought, _this must be hitting me bad. I haven't hit that since I got the thing. _"I know, I know, Chewie, but I was drunk then…" Han irrittaitedly ran a hand over his wet cheeks. _I gotta stop talkin' to him. That'll just make it worse. _"Ha! What a clown I am! That won't make it worse! 'make it worse' ha! Nothin' c'n make this w'rse, 'cause there ain't nothin' t' get w'rse…" Han didn't notice his speech slurring. Had he, the captain of the _Millennium Falcon_ would never have attributed it to the fact that eight bottles of hard Corellian brandy lay strewn about his bunk. 

Chewbacca peeked carefully out of one eye. It was still bright, but it no longer hurt to open his eyes, at least. Chewie could say nothing about the rest of him, of course, but at least he could see again. "Arror grra krran?" he asked.

"Ah, Master Chew Bacca. How good to see you awake." Obviously, whoever this was didn't know his name, if he pronounced it in two. Chewie was about to clear things up when his jaws clicked shut abruptly. The figure had just stepped into Chewie's line of vision. 

"Mrrrrrn…" Chewie moaned, even though he could see no face, that voice and smell were more than enough to tell Chewie who he was addressing. 

And it wasn't good. Not at all.

In the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, Princess Leia Organa-Solo, Chief-of-State of the New Republic, struggled to catch her breath. 

_What's wrong with me_, she thought. It's as if there's a black cloth over my head… But I feel danger, too… Suddenly, enlightenment struck. It's the Force!

The Force is trying to tell me something…something's wrong…and somebody's in danger!

But why would the Force tell _her _something? She had the Force, yes, but she was no Jedi! Why didn't Luke notice? He'd be able to figure it out. Her brother was a Master Jedi; he'd know right away what it meant!

In the Jedi Temple of Yavin IV, Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master and Rebellion hero, was having a nightmare.

_No, _Luke told himself_, not a nightmare—a premonition!_

"Through the Force, many things you will see. Other places, old friends long gone," Yoda had told him. Luke remembered his first such vision; one which had almost resulted in disaster at Bespin. Hopefully he'd handle this one a lot better. Luke sighed and surrendered himself to the Force.

Danger…that was the prominent sense Luke got. Nothing was very clear, but he knew one of his close friends was in danger, or soon would be. He stretched out his feelings, probing, but could make out no face. It was as if a cloud of darkness surrounded him, trapping him in, suffocating him…_Get a grip_, Luke told himself. Now that was odd; he hadn't felt that was since Vader had—Vader? Could that be it? No…this wasn't about Vader, or any Sith…it was a friend. Luke _knew _it was a friend. 

Maybe if I try to pick the person, then see if it fits? That had never been tried before to Luke's knowledge, but then, thanks to the Empire, that knowledge was limited indeed. Oh, well, couldn't hurt to do that.

Luke stretched out his feelings, searching. Mara? Was it—no, it wasn't Mara…Leia, then? Was his sister in any trouble? No, neither were the twins…Anakin…he sensed a faint foreboding about Anakin, but not this…Han…Han was very troubled, but somehow Luke thought that was different. That was about Chewbacca—Chewbacca? Now why did _that _name seem to fit? Chewie was dead…Luke quickly stifled his grief before he lost the vision. He tried it again; no, it was definitely Chewbacca! That didn't make sense! A vision from the past, perhaps. But then the dark veiling didn't make sense, because it had already happened. Chewbacca was _already _dead—already dead! That was it; a _veil_ didn't cloud this; it was covered in a _shroud_ of darkness! 

Chewbacca's _death_ _shroud_!

Luke sat up in bed, drenched in sweat. Chewbacca's death shroud… Beside him Mara awoke. 

"Luke, what's wrong? What's the matter?"

"Mara…." His voice was hoarse, it rasped in his throat. It was a struggle just to breathe through the suffocating shroud. Luke gasped in a breath before continuing urgently: "Mara, it's Chewbacca…_he's not dead_!"


	2. Chapter Two

****

CHAPTER TWO

"What?" Mara laid a hand on her husband's arm comfortingly. "Luke, what are you talking about? I know it's really sad, but didn't you already accept this? Isn't _Han _the one who's still dealing with—"

"No, Mara. Trust me; the Force just told me that he's _not dead._"

Mara Jade-Skywalker, Jedi, former personal assassin for the Emperor, wife of Luke Skywalker, Rebel Commander, didn't think much could shock her any longer. But then, she never claimed to be omnipotent. Because she'd just been given a surprise big enough to knock her to the Outer Rim and back.

"_What_?!" Mara started open mouthed at Luke. "Are you telling me that all this has been for _nothing_, because the Wookiee didn't die?"

"I never—well, actually—yes. I'm telling you just that." 

"Then you'd better hope you're wrong."

"Why do you say _that_?" Luke asked in surprise, "don't you _want_ Chewbacca to live?"

"No. Because if all this Sithspawned pain was for nothing, _I'm _going to _kill _him!"

"Open your eyes, Chew Bacca. I know that you are awake." The voice was relentless, insistent. It gave him no rest. Slowly, reluctantly, Chewbacca braced himself to do as it bid.

"Good, good…I see that our friend here did not hurt you too badly in getting you away from that…er, tight spot."

Didn't hurt too badly? If this wasn't too bad, Chewie would _hate _to see what this _moron_ claimed was painful! 

"Arroooow…" Chewie moaned quietly.

"I know, I know. You're mad at me, I'm sure. But really you shouldn't be! Don't you realize that if I hadn't seen fit to…uh, remove you, you would still be there, floating in space, forgotten by all your so-called friends."

Would he never shut-up? "Rrrerrownphrr…" he growled threateningly.

"Now, really, you don't think I haven't already taken precautions against that? I doubt you could muster the strength to do anything in your condition, but I _have _prepared for contingencies."

A very bad situation just got worse. A _lot _worse.

Boba Fett stalked into Chewie's frame of view. So _that _was what he'd smelled. A _rat—_a stinking bounty rat! Chewbacca managed to raise his head and growl as much to Fett—along with a few other choice words and expletives rather colorfully describing Fett's ancestry, personal habits, and bounty hunting skills. 

With no result at all. _Could _nothing_ shake this scum's calm? I just gave him enough to make _Lando_ blush, and he didn't even twitch a muscle! Arrgh! I'd like to rip his arms off and throw him across the galaxy_…

Fett tuned and looked right into Chewbacca's eyes, as if he could see exactly what the Wookiee was thinking. His head slowly shook once, from side to side, warning Chewie not to even think about it…

The peaceful silence of a jungle evening on Yavin IV was broken by a series of small splashes as a rock skipped across the surface of the river. Another followed it. Jacen Solo sat staring gloomily into the muddy water, intent on it. He absently hurled stones across the surface of the water. His thoughts were darker than the fast-approaching twilight made the river water appear to be; they focused entirely on his adopted "uncle" Chewbacca—the _late _Chewbacca, which was the entire problem. Chewie was dead and Jacen's thoughts could find no other path to follow but the same one traveled by the rest of his family; one of gloom, pain, and sorrow. 

Tenel Ka Chume Djo, Jedi, Dathmorian warrior, and Hapean princess watched her friend sorrowfully. The Wookiee's death had saddened her as well, but she was no stranger to loss, nor had she been exceptionally close to Chewbacca in his life. She knew her friends Jacen and Jaina were feeling a lot of pain over Chewbacca's death, however, and respected that. She had left them to their feelings at first, knowing that they wished to be alone and feeling they would come forward when they felt themselves ready, and she respected that. But the twins had _not _come forward, nor had they appeared to deal with their loss on their own, and as Tenel Ka well knew, sometimes you did _not _know what was best for yourself in a time of pain and grief. She decided it was time to step in and do what she could to help. 

The young warrior girl walked forward and sat next to Jacen on the riverbank. He stared into the waters and did not seem to realize she was there. She sat still for a moment more, than gently touched his arm. Jacen started but did not look away from the river.

"Jacen," she spoke softly, "my friend." Jacen blinked but did not answer so she continued, "Jacen…" Tenel Ka knew that no mere words of comfort could help her friend in his grief, and for a moment did not know what to say. Then she realized what she could do. "Tell me a joke, please."

He turned and stared at her for a moment, then tears filled his eyes. "Oh, Tenel Ka…I can't—I'm just—" the dam burst and tears rolled down his face. Tenel Ka put her one arm around him, trying to comfort her friend as best she could.

In a little while his tears were gone and he sniffled. "Thank you," he whispered.

"No my friend," she replied, "thank _you_…for coming back to us."

The two young Jedi Knights sat close together on the bank of the river for some time after that, just watching the sun set over the tops of the tall jungle trees on Yavin IV.

On Coruscant, the comm's insistent buzzing finally woke Leia from her doze. "What—Chewie, can you shut that thing—" _Oh. Sith. He's _dead_…_

Leia reached out a hand and swatted it. "What?" not the most diplomatic greeting, no, but Leia was in no mood to be diplomatic right now.

"Uh, Chief-of-State—"

"Whatever it is, it can and _will _wait. Thank you."

"But—Chief-of-State! Madame President! It's a ship—they refuse to transmit codes of clearance, despite hails, and are on course to your private docking area!"  
"Then stop them. I _really _don't have time for this."

"But—Madame President—the ship matches the _Millennium Falcon_ perfectly—which is another reason we're worried, if you get what I mean, ma'am."

Han's modifications. Of course. What better way to sneak in a ship loaded with weapons than to camouflage it as the _Falcon_, almost-impossible as that was? Still…Leia stretched-out with the Force.

"Don't worry, its Han, just let him land. He probably forgot to transmit the codes…" _because Chewbacca always does that_, Leia finished silently.

"Uh, of course Madame President. Right away!" the comm tech signed off, and Leia slowly reached-up to turn off her own comm.

Glanath. Cold, dark world. Secret. Hidden deep within the Outer Rim. A perfect hiding place for evil.

For a Dark Jedi.

The _Slave VII _dropped in for a landing on this uninhabited world…and suddenly there was life. Not just life, but _technology_. Fett's comm came alive with a buzz of static transmission. He abruptly cut it off, and spoke into the secondary one. 

"Ras Alvtorr. I told you not to do that."

"Oh, well, I'm sure if you _are_ Boba Fett, that bounty hunter I have working for me, that you've _asked _me not to do that, but—"

Fett cut off the Dark Jedi answering him. "I am Boba Fett. I told you never to do that. Damage this ship and it will be unhealthy."

"But," he whined, "you _know_ how secret this must be, why, should those pitiful fools, those usurpers, those selfish, greedy New Republic people, should those puny idiots find out, then all would be—"

Again, Fett cut him off. "Save you speeches," he sneered, "I'm not interested in your politics." 

"You should be! Everyone should be! Why, if the whole, entire galaxy was, those slimy New Republic characters would never have gotten their chance to steal—"

"Shut-up."

Alvtorr huffed in offense, and would have spoken out in indignation, but Fett was quicker:

"You said you had another bounty. One on a Solo. I'm here to talk."

"Sith!" 

"Huh? What's _wrong_?" Mara had never heard Luke take that tone of voice before, let alone with that kind of word.

"The comm's _busy_, now! _Before_, she wouldn't _answer_! _Now_, I can't get _through_!"

"Well, try again later. Who are you trying to get, anyway?" Mara wondered.

"Leia! Or Han! To tell them about Chewie!"

"You mean you _still _didn't get to them?" she asked incredulously.

"No!"

"Sith!"

"Exactly!"

When, five standard hours later, they _still _hadn't gotten through, the two decided it was time for another course of action.

"Mara, I think you should go to Coruscant and tell them personally."

"Why don't you come? She'd believe you much faster; Leia believes almost anything you tell her, if you say it had something to do with the Force."

"She'll believe you, too. I'm going to look for Chewie. I think I can find him."  
"Well, than I'm coming with you! You'll need help, Skywalker."

"Mara, don't argue! Some one needs to make sure _Han _of _all people_ knows!"

"Then we'll leave him a message on his comm. He can call us in the ship." Luke knew better than to try and dissuade Mara from any course of action when she wore that look. Still, he couldn't help but try.

A little later, Luke had just proved it was impossible again.

"You listen to me, Luke Skywalker! Baby or no baby, I'm definitely going along to help you!"

"Baby? What baby?" 

"Oh, Sith." 

"Mara, what are you talking about? Did you say—_baby?_"

"Fnarling big mouth. ...Yes, I said baby. I'm pregnant, Luke."

An hour later, the _Jade's Saber _lifted off from Yavin IV with two passengers, destination: unknown.

****

*By the way… I wrote this chapter before anything other than Vector Prime was out there, and I haven't read the real scenario where Mara tells Luke about the baby…so don't kill me of whatever…


	3. Chapter Three

****

CHAPTER THREE

Jaina Solo sat hunched over her workbench in the Jedi Temple, holding a hydrospaner in her hands when her brother entered the room.

"Jaina! You'll—Jaina? Are you okay? What's the matter?" Jacen laid a hand on his twin sister's shoulder. "C'mon, Jaya, tell me?"

Jaina turned her tear-streaked face towards her brother. "Oh, Jacen," she sobbed, "do you see this?" She held the hydrospaner up for him to see.

"Yeah…it's a hydrospaner. But what's wrong, Jaya? Tell me, please." 

"This…Chewie gave me this…for my birthday…and later I told him it was out-of-date…" Jaina cried harder. "It's the best tool I ever got…and now I'll never be able to tell him that." Jacen wrapped an arm around his twin sister as she sobbed loudly.

Brother and sister sat, crying for the uncle they had loved and lost, pouring out their grief to each other, and were comforted together. 

It wasn't so for their younger brother.

He didn't seek such comfort. He wasn't _worthy _of it…

Anakin Solo stood staring at the lights of the city-planet. Coruscant, named for the beautiful Corusca gem, because her lights shone so. Anakin wasn't looking at the lights. 

Anakin was looking at the darks.

His mood was black, hurt, angry. Although he didn't know it, he stood dangerously close to the doors of the Dark Side. Had he known, would he have cared?

"Why?" he spoke aloud to the empty night, "why?" Although Coruscant was teeming with life and solitude was hard to find, Anakin was all alone. Aloof, cut-off from all others, friends and family alike in his grief. Alone…

"Why did he have to _die_?" Anakin's face was streaked with tears, but his eyes were no longer damp. 

"Why did _Chewie _have to die? Why did they kill him?" Raised as a Jedi, he tried to find the reason within the Force, yet he was not calm enough to attune himself to it. "Why did the Force allow it?" his thoughts turned even darker, more hateful. "Why did the Force kill him?"

Finally, he released his pent-up feelings, screaming: "I hate the Force! If it could kill Chewie, why couldn't it have killed me? Without Chewie, nobody would even notice if _I _died! All they'd see was Chewie—cause I'm the one that killed him…" His eyes suddenly filled with hatred and desolation. "And 'cause I'm nobody. I'm not even my own _person_!" Although Anakin had fought these inner demons many years before and triumphed, with the Dark Side they returned.

"I'm just Anakin _Solo_, the second one! I'm Darth Vader's _namesake_, that's why nobody cares about me! They hate me 'cause they hated him—and now I'm just like him!

"I've killed someone—no, not just someone; I've killed Chewbacca! Noooo…" Anakin fell to his knees, howling his grief and anger to the cold, unhearing skies.

Although he didn't know it, he stood dangerously close to the doors of the Dark Side. 

Too close…Much too close.

_Boba Fett stood near the door_…that was the first thing Chewbacca saw when he woke again. _Well, _he thought, that _just ruined a morning…if it is morning._

But then, he remembered, Han had said that any time you wake-up is _technically _morning…Han…Chewie missed Han…He couldn't stop himself from letting out a quiet moan of grief which Fett heard.

The bounty hunter's head whipped towards Chewie, his **T**-shaped visor glaring at him. Fearless as Chewbacca was, a small chill ran up his back at the sight.

"What do _you _want? " Chewie growled threateningly at Fett in Wookiee-speak. The bounty hunter made no answer, so Chewie started to speak again.

"Shut-up." 

Chewbacca was so taken aback that he did as Fett had said and his jaws clicked shut. Rapidly. 

But not for long; Chewie growled at the bounty hunter to leave—in far more _colorful _terms, of course. Fett didn't move a muscle. Chewbacca was getting madder and madder—and as his anger rose, strength returned to his limbs. It was only then that Chewie found he was in far less pain than the last time he'd awoken. He inquired of the air how long it had been since he'd last awoke. As he was expecting no answer, when one came it surprised him:

"Five Standard Weeks. Now quiet." 

_Five Standard Weeks? And how long before that? And how much longer will it be before I can escape, or Han can find me? _

Chewie knew his friend was optimistic, but could Han keep searching for him forever? No! But _then _what? What would Chewbacca be able to do without Han?

Chewie didn't know it, but Han was thinking the same things. What could _he _do without _Chewie_? Chewie was more than a copilot, was more than a partner, Chewie was a _friend_. Not just a friend, but _Chewbacca_! 

How could Han even live without his buddy? It was just impossible! Was there even _life _without his pal? Right about now, Han really didn't think so. If Chewie was dead—which Han _still _found hard to accept—why should he even bother to stay alive? 

Again, Han reached for the blaster in his holster—and came up with empty air. "Sithspawn!" Han remembered; he'd left his blaster by the door of the ship—which he refused to leave. The _Falcon _might be sitting in the docking bay on Coruscant, but so was Han Solo! This was were his best memories of his buddy were, so this was where he was gonna stay! 

Had Han only checked his comm, he would have found the message left by Luke and Mara. But Han wasn't in the mood to check the comm. 

Had he only, had he only! Then, perhaps, he might have seen the message Leia left him as well…The message about his son, Anakin…

Anakin Solo had gone to Yavin IV to talk to his uncle. It had been a struggle, yes, but he was finally on his way. 

_Why should he even want to talk to _me_, _Anakin had thought. "Why me?" he'd shouted, "I'm the second Darth Vader!" Anakin didn't know how close he was to the truth right then.

The Dark Side had been close on his heels ever since Chewbacca had died, but never closer than when he prepared to talk to his uncle and Jedi Master.

Had he gone sooner, things may have been avoided. But he didn't. He waited, and then they were gone.

Anakin's shuttle had touched down over Yavin. "Where's Master Skywalker," he had asked of the nearest students, but all they could tell him was "not here," and "he left with Mara" or other such comments. In his present mood, this wasn't a welcome fact. 

"But I have to talk to him!" he'd cry. Then the students would counsel "patience." Anakin was _sick _of patience! Did patience save Chewbacca? No; it got him killed! Anakin was in no mood for patience—the Dark Side was riding hard on his heels. 

Too hard. Much too hard. 

"Hey, watch it—whoa!" Anakin looked up just in time to get a face full of falling datapads. A student had been levitating them into the Temple when Anakin had walked right through it. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Anakin shouted at the young Rodian.

"I am sorry; you wall-walkk-walked into my field of th-thou-thought and I am not yet an ad-adept at levi-levi-levi-whatsis." The Rodian struggled with his Basic, half-forgotten in excitement and nerves.

"Sorry, Sithspawn! You little _idiot_, what were you _thinking_? If you can't _do _it, don't _do it_!" he shouted back, threateningly stepping towards the Rodian.

"Me-my-I am sorry! I meant no to do that-this-it!" the alien stuttered.

"Hey, kid! Lay-off, he was just practicing." "It was an accident, don't get so uptight!" "What kind of a Jedi are you, anyway?" students called to him from around the Temple. 

"Yeah, sure! Take _his _side! It doesn't matter, it was only _me_! I'm _nothing_, just a _repeat_! And I'm a _Vader_, too! Don't worry about _me_! Well, Sith you! Sith you all!" Anakin twirled on his heel and stormed off in a dark tide of anger. In the Dark Side.

"Whoa, chill-out buddy—"

"Chill-out! Chill-out!" Anakin shouted shrilly. When the Twi'lek student laid a calming hand on his arm, Anakin lost it. "I'll show you chill-out!"

With the Force, Anakin grabbed the Twi'lek and threw him across the clearing into the river. The other students flinched, then started forward towards him. 

"Anakin—" Tahiri called, but in his rage he didn't hear her.

"I'll show you _all_! I'll be somebody, just you wait! I'll be more than somebody, I'll be _me_!" Raising the Force, Anakin threw a wave of Force-energy outwards. Jedi students tumbled across the jungle and flew away from him. 

Anakin Solo, grandson of Darth Vader, stalked away across the landing area, vibrating with the Force…with the Dark Side of the Force.

_What a rush_, Anakin thought as he flew off from Yavin IV. _That was _so _cool! I've never done such a good job using the Force before! That was just _so awesome_! _

Anakin had just fallen, for a moment, to the Dark Side. He could have still been pulled back easily, had anyone been there. Had his uncle, his father, his mother, his sister or brother, Chewbacca...had any of them been there, he might never have fallen, and if he had, would have quickly been saved. But none of them was there.

And no one pulled him back from the Dark Side. 

_That was just the neatest thing—_Anakin had enjoyed himself with the Dark Side, and he would continue to do so. _The next Darth Vader indeed! I'm not Vader, I'm _me!

Anakin didn't know how wrong he was when he said that…how deadly wrong he was… About the Dark Side…

Leia raised her head from her desk tiredly to the insistent beeping of the comm. _Not again… _

"What? This is Chief-of-State Leia Organa-Solo. Can I help you—" she asked.

"Organa-Solo!" a distraught young Mon Calamari cried. 

"Um…yes, that's me…is something wr—"

"Everything's wrong!"

"Uh…can you elaborate, please?"

"Oh, sorry! I'm a new student at the Jedi Temple, and it's about your son!" The Calamari looked about to burst into tears.

"My son? Jacen and Jaina are still at the academy, but they—" Leia was confused.

"No, it's Anakin! He-he's—" the young girl started crying violently.

Leia was getting very worried now. "What about Anakin? It's all right, don't worry, just tell me what's wrong."

"Okay, here goes…"

Leia slowly turned off the comm and sat back in her chair. _Anakin, fallen to the Dark Side? _she wondered in shock.

It couldn't be! It just couldn't be! Anakin?…_how_? Leia sat, stunned, in her chair, not noticing the beautiful sunset over Coruscant for the tears filling her eyes…


	4. Chapter Four

****

CHAPTER FOUR

"Luke…" Mara Jade-Skywalker sat in the seat of the _Jade's Saber_, staring out the viewport. 

Luke stirred from a nap in the co-pilot's seat. "What's wrong, Mara?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," she said dryly. 

"Oh…" Luke finally opened his eyes the whole way. "Why?"

"I don't know…but I have a bad feeling about this…"

Leia opened her eyes, and immediately wondered what had awakened her…Until she felt a blaster pressed against her skull. 

Suddenly, she was wide-awake. Before she had even begun to concentrate on the Force to pull the blaster away and throw it across the room, she realized how futile that would be. 

Her assailant spoke. It was a harshly accented, emotionless, cold voice. One that she recognized with a shiver of fear…

It was Boba Fett.

In a moment of unreasoning reaction, Leia grabbed the heavy, ornate glowrod off the nightstand with the Force and flung it at Fett's helmeted head in a gamble of hope. 

It failed. Miserably. 

Fett ducked and the glowrod flew past him. Before it could shatter on the wall and alert Winter in the next room, Fett shot with his silent assassination-blaster. It wasn't a very high-powered one, but it worked very well where silence was essential. Like now.

While the bounty hunter's back was turned, Leia managed to yank the lightsaber from beneath her pillow and thrust it into the pocket of the pants she'd fallen asleep in. It only took her a second, which was good, because it took Fett no longer to obliterate the glowrod. 

Before the princess could do anything more, the bounty hunter had whipped back around and pointed his blaster at her again. On an impulse, Leia gave it a twist with the Force and leaped aside—right into the dart Fett shot. 

The bounty hunter hadn't wasted any blasts on the knocked-askew blaster, but instead had anticipated where Leia would leap to and fired a Mandalorian dart at her. Leia only had time to gasp once before the neurotic dart took effect and she slowly slipped to the floor and into blackness...

Fett walked over and caught her before she hit the floor. Slinging the Chief-of-State over his shoulder like a sack of nerf-meat, the bounty hunter walked to the window he had skillfully and silently opened to enter. 

The _Slave VII _flew off into the dark night.

Suddenly, the _Jade's Saber_ was _yanked _violently out of hyperspace. Luke, who wasn't strapped in to his seat, went flying across the cockpit and _slammed _into the bulkhead with a thud. Mara's head flopped dangerously close to the control panel but her crash restraints held. 

"Luke! Are you—oomph—alright?"

"…yeah…fine…" Luke gasped, struggling for his breath, "what…happ'nd?" Luke struggled back into his seat, grabbing the crash restraints and securely tucking them around his body.

"We got—Sithspawn!—knocked out of hyperspace…by the planet right _there_!" Mara replied frantically, trying to stop their descent.

The _Jade's Saber_, engines off-line from the abrupt transition to normal space, plummeted helplessly toward the planet slowly filling the viewports…

Lowbacca the Wookiee stared out at the looming gas giant of Yavin. He was in the highest treetop he could find, but it wasn't high enough to lift him over his grief. At his belt, the miniaturized translating droid Em Teedee was silent, switched off so Lowie could have his solitude. 

Alone in the jungle, Lowie took no notice of the teeming wildlife around him. He was isolated from his friends and family here, where nobody could find him. He crooned low in his throat expressing his feelings, but trying to keep them inside, trying to be a brave Jedi Knight. 

It wasn't working. 

Suddenly the branches beneath him rustled loudly, startling him from his reverie. He yelped in surprise when something touched his back and spun around, ready to fight whatever attacker that was there. He chuffed with relief when he saw it was his friend, Tenel Ka, a Dathmorian warrior and Hapean princess. In his leafy perch, she was one of the few who could follow him. 

"Greetings Friend Lowbacca."

Lowie growled back, somewhat embarrassed at being so easily startled and unalert, but Tenel Ka seemed not to have noticed. Lowie crooned a question.

"Jacen, Jaina, Zekk and I are worried about you, Friend Lowbacca. The twins were too consumed in their grief to notice before, but we realize you should not have to be alone. If you would come down, our friends have accompanied me to look for you, although they would find it much harder to follow you up here. I found it hard enough!" she spoke in an acknowledgment of his Wookiee climbing abilities, trying to distract him from his pain. Lowie was grateful to the warrior girl for doing so in a manner that would not hurt his pride, and touched her one arm in recognition, then followed his friend to the ground. 

"Hi Lowie," Jacen was standing with his sister and Zekk beneath the tree-trunk. 

Lowbacca growled back a greeting in Wookieespeak. As soon as he swung his lanky form to the ground, the twins rushed over to hug him and Zekk followed more self-consciously to stand beside him. Lowie wrapped his long shaggy arms around the Solo twins and hugged them tightly, knowing they had been as close to his Uncle Chewbacca as he himself was. 

"We're sorry," Jaina's voice was muffled from being buried in Wookiee fur, "sorry that we didn't realize it hurt you as much as it hurt us." 

"Yeah," Jacen added, "but there's no reason you have to be alone. We weren't."

"Sharing grief makes it easier to bear," Tenel Ka said and placed her hand on Lowie's shoulder. Zekk walked over to the group and spoke as well. 

The five young Jedi Trainees clung to each other in grief; sharing it and helping their friends deal with the pain of loosing Chewbacca, comforting themselves and their friends.

In their grief, they were stronger together, could deal with it better together. With their friends. 

Leia awoke with a pounding headache. The princess moaned and shook her head to clear it—once, before she realized that made it hurt worse. She groaned again.

"Here. Drink." A small metal cup was thrust into her line of vision—held by a hand gloved in Mandalorian armor. Leia pressed her lips together tightly in mute defiance as her vision swam sickeningly. 

"It will eliminate the afterimages of the drug." 

Leia wasn't even _about _to trust the bounty hunter! He'd already proved more than enough times what scum he was, and she _certainly _wouldn't believe anything _he _said. 

"Fine." Instead of trying to force the Chief-of-State to drink the liquid, Fett set it down within the bars of her cell and turned to go. Finally Leia allowed her curiosity to get the best of her. 

"Where—" Leia swallowed, trying to moisten her throat enough to talk. She tried again, "where are you taking me?" she croaked. 

"That is no longer any of your concern." 

"But," she tried a different tactic, "why did you capture me? I don't have any bounty on me."

"That is also irrelevant."

_Was he _always_ so close-mouthed?_ Leia wondered in dismay. _I won't be able to get a _thing _out of him. _The bounty hunter returned to the cockpit of his ship, leaving Leia with only one small scrap of information.

"Brace yourself." 

That might mean that they would be leaving hyperspace soon… Leia fervently hoped so. The _Slave VII _might suit a bounty hunter's wants well enough, but the cage was far from luxurious, and Leia still had that headache which made it very hard to think—or see. _Maybe_…she thought. No, it has to be drugged…but why? If he wants to kill me or knock me out again, he doesn't need to do it with a drug. One of those darts or some other weapon would work just as well…Maybe it really _is _to clear up the drug… 

Before common sense could stop her, Leia reached out and grasped the cup, gasping at the dizziness such a small movement caused. She drained it in one gulp and felt some of her headache vanish. It still hurt, but at least she could think better now. And it was a lot easier to move! _That will help when I escape…_ the thought trailed off. _Escape? How? _She didn't even know what she was escaping _from_! 

Alone in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_, Han Solo stared out the viewport. He had landed the _Falcon _on Coruscant two days ago, but he hadn't left. He wondered why he'd come. At the time he programmed in the hyperspace coordinates, he'd had reasons. He'd see Leia, maybe they'd go to Yavin IV to see the twins…but it didn't matter any more. Now he just sat, staring at the hanger bay walls, wondering why he was here. 

It crystallized then. He didn't _want _to be here. This brought it all back to him; Chewie should have been here too. This was where they'd been, all of them, before they left…and then Chewie never came back. It was too hard to stay here. 

Without realizing he'd made a conscious decision, Han lit the repulsor lifts and, without bothering to ask for clearance, he'd flown out of the hanger bay, not even realizing until he was out in the air above Coruscant. 

Alone in the cockpit that should have held two, Han, solo again, flew off into cold, dark, empty space…


	5. Chapter Five

****

CHAPTER FIVE

"Are you telling me…that you just walked in there and grabbed their pitiful Chief-of-State and _no one stopped you_?"

"Yes."

"But-but-but—but it didn't take long enough! And nobody noticed yet! And what about Solo? Why didn't he do something? No—I _told _you _not _to kill him, Boba Fett! You—" 

"Solo is undamaged. He was not there."

"But-but-but—but then that means he won't _know_ we have her! Take her back—no, wait, don't! I want you to—"

"Listen, Alvtorr. I bring in bounties _my way_ and nobody is going to tell me how to do so. Understood?" Fett's cold, emotional voice was more frightening than any show of anger would have been. Ras Alvtorr cringed beside the comm screen. 

"Yes. Yes, of course, Boba Fett. I understand _perfectly_. Please, I was under a false impression. I understand absolutely perfectly! Is there…anything I can do to…help?"

"Yes. Shut-up."

"Oh. I…see." Alvtorr shrunk down inside his billowing red robes as if to hide from the masked hunter's vibroblade-like glare.

"Open the shield and drop your cloaking. I'm coming in. I have the Princess with me." Without so much as a "talk to you soon" Fett abruptly disconnected. Alvtorr didn't know whether to be thankful or insulted. 

He choose to decide which later and hurried to do as the hunter asked—he refused to think that _anyone_ could order _him_ around, let alone a mere bounty hunter—even if he _was _the best bounty hunter; it didn't matter. 

Boba Fett's ship, the _Slave VII_ docked at the hidden base on the moon of Glanath, home of Ras Alvtorr. He stalked down the ladder to the holding area in his ship where the princess was imprisoned.

Without a word he unlocked the cage door and grabbed her arm. She struggled for a moment, commanding him to release her. Fett ignored her labors and dragged his merchandise out the hatch and into Ras Alvtorr's domain. He had been there for the past month, "guarding" the slimy Dark Jedi from the Wookiee Chewbacca.

It was all very annoying—just like Alvtorr. The Dark Jedi came scurrying up to Fett's side, inquiring, dithering, and generally being an idiot.

Fett cut him off before he could start to repeat himself. "You shall pay me for Organa-Solo now."

"Oh, of course, of course! Yes, yes, let me just get the credits…" Alvtorr dug in his billowing robes trying to locate the pocket his money was in, keeping up a steady monologue all the while. 

Finally Ras Alvtorr located the money and handed Fett the fifty thousand credits for the capture of Leia Organa-Solo. Fett took it without a word and tucked the credits into a pouch on his Mandalorian armor. Alvtorr continued babbling to Leia: 

"Yes your _highness_, oh I'm sure you'll like it here, princess. Don't worry, we only have one other guest, and I think you'd like _him_, but no, no, we shan't show him to you, no, no. Ah, princess, you don't know me, do you? No, none of you do, not yet! But you will, oh you will! For I, I am Ras Alvtorr, and I shall destroy you're puny government, destroy it! I am—"

"You are an _idiot_," Leia cut him off, "if you think just because you can get Boba Fett to snatch me, you can destroy the New Republic. You can't. If you kill me they'll just elect a new leader—we're a democracy, and we have justice on our side. You cannot win, because you cannot kill hope. We are hope, and hope will never die." Alvtorr stood gapping at Leia, shocked into silence. Fett stood, silent, waiting rather patiently, as Alvtorr's mouth opened and shut a few times, making him resemble a snot-nosed hooker-fish even more than he did usually. 

Finally, the self-styled Dark Jedi found words to counter the Princess form Alderaan. "You may _say _that you have whatever you wish on your side; I have the Dark Side and your hope _will _die, Chief-of-State, it will it will it _will_!" Alvtorr stamped his foot much the way children did when throwing temper tantrums. Fett stood motionless, used as he was too ignoring such childish displays of temper. The princess looked about to speak again, but shut her mouth abruptly when Alvtorr yanked a metal cylinder with buttons on it from the folds of his robe—not without some consternation to locate and detach it. "See?" he asked, "see, see, see, _see_? _I _have a lightsaber—so _there_!" Alvtorr's bottom lip jutted out in a pout. The princess's hand twitched towards her pocket in instinctively—she didn't even seem to notice the unconscious reaction, but the bounty hunter did. And he knew its significance, which Alvtorr would have been unable to deduct even had he seen. 

Boba Fett knew it meant she had her lightsaber, as well. 

But he wasn't _about _to tell his employer. 

Fett might have been in Alvtorr's retention, but he had his _own_ agenda. One that was not identical in the _least_ to Ras Alvtorr's…

"I am sorry, unidentified ship, but until you give us your identification, you will not be allowed to land."

"Oh, I will be." 

Traffic control replied as it had done before, "I'm sorry, but you will not be allowed to land—" 

"You _will _let me land."   
"You…will…be…allowed…to…land…" 

"You are sorry for taking up my time."

"I…am sorry…for…taking…up…your…time…"

"Move along."

"Move…along…move…along…Thank…you…sir…"

Anakin Solo had been trained in the use of the Force by his uncle, the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. He had been taught to use the Light Side, and not to bend minds. ]

He had decided, shortly after Chewie's death, that his uncle had no idea what he was talking about. If he had, wouldn't he have been able to save Chewie? Besides, nobody cared about him—why should they?—so they wouldn't bother to worry if they were teaching _him_ right, would they? There was no point in it! _He _was nothing more than a repeat—Darth Vader two!

"_NO!!_" he shouted against his thoughts, "I'm _not _going to be another Vader! I'm going to be me—_me_!! I'll be somebody—somebody _important_!! I _will_!!" Anakin pounded his fist into the control panel so hard sparks flew. He lights flickered and the engines died. Muttering about faulty manufacturing, Anakin didn't bother to climb down into the engine and tinker—one of his favorite things to do—but instead concentrated on his anger, building his strength with the Force, and _fixed_ the ship. The engines roared back to life, the lights flared brilliantly—and the whole thing shorted out.

With sparks flying from his eyes and electrical discharges flickering around him, Anakin _bent_ the Force, forcing it to do his will—unlike the Light Side, where you went _with _the Force, rather than against it—and the ship screamed painfully back to life. With ice blue eyes still flashing and blue lighting crackling around his body, Anakin sat back down in the pilot seat and roared down towards the planet. The comm crackled back to life, with the controller yelling at him to slow down. The young Solo boy snarled at him, sending out with the Force, and the controller convulsed in pain, then dipping down into unconsciousness, then falling suspiciously silent. Anakin didn't care—he wasn't shouting at him any more, so it was all right. 

Everything was all right now; he could do _anything_! The Force was _finally _with him—finally _really _with him! 

It never occurred to the boy that it might not be the right _side_ that was with him…

Mara Jade frantically punched buttons, trying to locate the planet on any of the charts, hoping that she could figure out what she could do to get them out of this system without crashing into any other uncharted planets. 

It didn't help when Luke started to laugh convulsively. 

"What's so darn _funny_?" she asked in annoyance.

"I'm sorry Mara," he replied, in between gasps of mirth, "it's just that this is _Dagobah_."

"And?…" Mara's voice tightened threateningly. 

"And? And what?…Oh, I'm sorry—"

"You will be."

"—it's just that I did just about the same thing the first time I got here. This is…where…where Yoda lived."

"Yoda? Oh, that little green guy with the attitude and the speech defect?" 

"…Uh, yes. I'm not sure if he would have liked that description, but yeah, that's him—"

"And the attitude, right?" Mara interrupted. 

"Um…yeah."

"Well that midget-Jedi needs to get his stupid planet on the charts! I just about plowed up his nose!" Mara replied.

"Uh, he's dead, Mara." Luke reminded her gently.

"I know—and a good thing, too!"

"What—why?" Luke asked sharply?

"'Cause that was he's not around for me to chew out! I think he'd like _that _even _less_." 

Luke convulsed with mirth again. Mara held out for a moment, then joined her husband in a release of tension. The cockpit filled with the sound of laughter, a sound heard all too little in other parts of the galaxy.

Like here.

Han halfheartedly entered more hyperspace coordinates. He couldn't fly the _Falcon _half as well alone, but as long as he didn't run into any attackers, he'd get by. He'd been just popping in and out of hyperspace, drifting around. It wasn't a good way to leave a forwarding address, but since Han didn't want to be found it worked out perfectly. _Almost_… Something was missing that had been missing. It would _always _be missing…his pal, Chewbacca. 

Han missed the big Wookiee more than he'd ever missed anybody in his entire life. It was different when his kids were off at Yavin IV, there, they were just a comm call away. It was different when they'd been kidnapped, then, he hadn't let himself believe there might be chance they wouldn't be okay. He'd been too busy trying to find them to _miss_ them as much. 

Now, everything was different.

Not just different, it was _wrong_. The _Falcon_ was wrong, Han's life was wrong, Sith, the whole fnarling _galaxy _was wrong!

And there was nothing Han could do to change it. 

Nothing…


	6. Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX ****

CHAPTER SIX

In the end, there was only one choice. Leia knew it, and had known it. But that didn't mean she'd accept it. The bounty hunter had thrown her into a small room and turned on the force field, that Dark Jedi jeering all the way. Fett had stalked away then, and had told him that he was going to "watch the other one" which meant Leia was not alone. Whether she could use that knowledge to her advantage, though, she didn't know. She'd finally gotten a name for the Dark Jedi, though. When Fett had left he'd called him "Alvtorr" so Leia assumed it was _some _sort of designation of name. It at least made it easier to think about him—now she could think at a _name_ rather than just at a _him_. 

Leia knew that when Fett was nearby she'd stand little to no chance of escaping—alive, anyway. No matter if she had the Force and a lightsaber, she wasn't good enough with either of them to fight _him_. For all she might detest the bounty hunter, she did have to admit that he was very good at what he specialized in; the capture and killing of _anything_ and _everything_. 

She didn't know this Alvtorr's abilities yet, so she couldn't very well figure out how good she'd do against him—still, if she was going to second-guess it, she'd bet on herself over him. For all his preening and posturing, she didn't think he was very good with the Force—or that ugly-looking black lightsaber he'd thrust under her nose earlier. 

Besides, she could still hope that he'd leave soon…maybe…

Leia was shifting positions, trying to get more comfortable, when she heard a lovely sound. 

The Dark Jedi was _snoring_. He'd dozed off sitting there watching her! Now, if she could just cut her way out…

Leia peered around both with her eyes and with the Force, trying to see if anyone—Fett or somebody she hadn't seen yet—was around, but she couldn't get very far past that disconcerting "buzz" emanating from Alvtorr. _That was odd…I don't think any other Dark Jedi gave that off…but then again, who am _I _to know? _Anyway, there were more important things to think of right now—like getting out of here! Let _Luke _worry about those things _after _I escape to tell him! 

The Chief-of-State didn't _think _anybody was right nearby…so she might as well risk it! She might never get a better chance; she'd have to try—no, she shouldn't _try_, she'd have to _do_…

After some work, Leia had managed to cut a circle into the wall, and was waiting for the edges to cool enough that she could squirm through, when a small sound made her jump. She caught her balance and whirled around, looking for the source of the distraction. 

It was Alvtorr—she had the feeling that if she stayed around much longer, she'd find him _very _annoying—he had stirred in his sleep, apparently smelling the melted/burned metal she'd cut through. It wasn't much, but it was enough to convince her it was time to go, hot metal or not! 

Leia had just clambered through when she got a tingle along the back of her neck. _Oh_, she thought, _if only I'd had enough time to become a Jedi! Then I might be able to tell…is that the Force, or just a static discharge from cutting my way out with a lightsaber? _

The princess decided it didn't matter; she'd have to risk it, whether it was or not.

Leia crept past the sleeping figure of Alvtorr as quickly as she could without making any noise. _Well, _she though ruefully, _at least I don't have to worry about taking off any boots—Boba Fett didn't give me time to put any on! _

In her bare feet, Leia cautiously tiptoed down the silent, ringing halls. _Oh_…she thought, _I hope I can find my way back to that docking bay…I know the _Slave—_whatever number it is now—was there, and I think there was another ship, too. _Leia didn't think she could fly the bounty hunter's ship, but something was better than nothing. 

She was just relaxing, thinking she'd gotten past the point of danger, when she nearly leaped out of her skin. 

"Where are you going, Princess Leia?" a harsh, accented voice grated from behind her. 

Leia twirled and, still off-balance, grabbed for her lightsaber, but only ended up with a handful of hair, still down loose from the sleep Fett had interrupted earlier. She'd gasped to see the hunter standing casually—well, as casually as Fett ever stood—directly behind her. Leia looked quickly at the blank walls of the hall. Either Fett had been following her for a while—which she doubted, with those heavy boots of his—or else he'd come from a hidden panel built into the side of the wall, one that opened and shut soundlessly—which she doubted even more. She realized her hand was still groping for her pocket, trying to get the lightsaber—a dead giveaway she had one. She snatched it away quickly before she realized that was even _more_ of a giveaway. _Well, if he tries to take it_, she thought disparagingly, _I'll just have to fight him…_she gulped. 

The bounty hunter stalked forward threateningly. Leia tensed, ready to spring. Fett didn't grab for the blaster in his belt, but instead lifted an empty hand. Leia prepared to dodge a fist, but the bounty hunter grabbed her shoulder and roughly marched her back down the hall. It seemed to take a much shorter time heading back, because she hadn't had a chance to figure out how to get away before they were back at the cell—with two notable differences. One, Alvtorr wasn't there, and two, the cell wall was intact. 

She flashed a questioning look around, but no answers were forthcoming. _Either…_Leia didn't think they'd managed to fix the wall perfectly in that time, so that would mean it was a new cell…so why wasn't Alvtorr there waiting to babble and criticize her? _Unless…_but _that_ would mean that the bounty hunter was working _against_ Alvtorr? _I thought he was his employer…_ the Chief-of-State was very confused now. Fett tossed her into the cell and slammed the door. Leia caught herself and turned to watch the sequence Fett keyed in to bring up the force field, but the bounty hunter's hand flew over the keypad too fast for her to figure it out. 

Fett turned his menacing visage to stare directly into Leia's eyes. She stood taller, determined not to look away. The bounty hunter spoke in his harsh, cold voice:

"I would not advise trying that again. It will not go so well for you."

Fett turned and left before Leia could speak, but he returned shortly, and unceremoniously dumped the still-sleeping Alvtorr into a chair just the way he'd been sitting at Leia's first cell. The princess was even _more_ confused _now_! Wouldn't this mean that Fett was keeping Alvtorr from knowing she'd managed to escape? Maybe he just didn't want his employer to know he hadn't been able to stop her? Yes, that must be it. Maybe she could get the bounty hunter in trouble?…but that would mean the Dark Jedi would _know_ what she'd managed to do. 

Fett stared at her for a long, tense moment before stalking away. 

It wasn't until later that the slightly dazed princess realized that Boba Fett hadn't taken her lightsaber away from her.

Chewbacca, now in a more restraining and less medication-orientated quarters, knew something had changed. He sniffed as deeply as possible. He _knew_ there was something he was missing…but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. Chewie squeezed his blue eyes shut beneath their dark whorls of fur, concentrating. 

He smelled scorched ozone. Not the type from a blaster shot, but a smell he recognized nonetheless. And another, fainter, more elusive scent…He knew that scent well…Oh, he _almost_ _had _it…and then a smell he could easily place. Chewie groaned to himself. It was that stinking bounty rat. Again.

Chewie growled at Fett to get lost…with a few _other_ words mixed in, of course. It _was _Boba Fett, after all.

Fett just scanned the instruments showing the state of the security systems and such. Chewie grumbled to himself, sniffed, and turned away…and that's when it hit him. The scent he'd been trying to place hung a little on Fett's armor. Not enough for a human to tell, but Wookiee noses were much more sensitive. 

Chewie whirled around, roaring at the bounty hunter, Wookiee battle-rage pumping through his veins. Where? He roared in Wookieespeak, threatening the hunter with a thousand horrible fates if he didn't tell him where Chief-of-State Princess Leia Organa-Solo was _right now_.

Fett looked up from the instruments at Chewbacca's roar of rage. Immediately, the bounty hunter knew what was wrong, even before the Wookiee had said anything. He cursed himself for a fool. It was ludicrous not to have assumed that enough of the Chief-of-State's scent would have hung about his armor that Chewbacca, who had spent so much time in her company, would have been able to recognize it. _He probably smelled the lightsaber, too. _

Boba Fett thought fast; fast even for him, and decided what to tell the Wookiee. Chewbacca already knew that the Fett had recently been in the presence of Organa-Solo, he most likely knew that a lightsaber had been used—best to assume he did—so there truly weren't all that many pertinent facts the Wookiee didn't already know that he would want too in order to see that he stayed quiet. 

Chewbacca was just building himself up to another full-blown Wookiee roar when Fett's cold, emotionless voice cut in. At first the bounty hunter couldn't even hear himself over the bellowing Wookiee, but then Chewbacca realized he was actually getting answers and quieted—temporarily.

"—is unharmed. Imprisoned elsewhere. Another bounty. That is all you need to know; you shall be silent now." 

Chewie immediately roared as loud as he could. Fett stood unmoved; he'd heard _louder_ from far more _vicious_ creatures. 

"That is all you shall be informed of." Fett's emotionless voice was final, unwavering, leaving no room for debate. 

He walked out of the room to a concert of banging, thuds, roars, and growls, carefully re-shutting the soundproof door behind him.

Late in the night, with nothing but stars to light the dark jungles of Yavin IV, Jacen Solo paced the roof of the Jedi Temple. Something was bothering him but he wasn't sure what it was. Dressed in a brown jumpsuit but with sleep-tousled hair and unshorn feet he looked as if just risen from his bed. Which he was. Sleep was hard to find and when it did come strange dreams troubled him…dreams that, once he woke up from, he could never _quite_ remember what they were. All that remained was a faint undercurrent of unease…and a glimpse—nothing more—of a woman with long hair that hid her face, and one of a silent laser-blast that disintegrated a glowstick. Jacen turned at the sound of bare feet padding on stone. 

His twin sister, Jaina Solo, shuffled up the stairs and out onto the roof next to him. She rubbed sleep out of her eyes and yawned.

"Do you feel the same thing I do?"

Although Jacen was anxious he was a born humorist and couldn't resist the opportunity to tease his sister. "I dunno," he replied with a grin, "what do you think I am—a mind-reading Jedi or something?" 

Jaina gave him a scathing look. "That wouldn't even make _Chew_—uh, _Lowie_ laugh." Jaina quickly covered her slip and glanced to see if her brother had heard. She guessed he hadn't noticed because he was giving his best "insulted/affronted/I'd-sulk-now-but-I'm-too-good-to" look. 

"It would _too_. Lowie has a good sense of humor!"

"That's why he wouldn't laugh!" Jaina also couldn't resist teasing her brother but she was glad he'd succeeded in lightening her mood. "Seriously, though—" she began.

"—I feel uneasy," finished Jacen. 

"Yeah…and my dreams—" she started.

"—are really weird but I can never remember them," completed her brother.

"So, in answer to my question—"

"—I do feel the same thing you do."

Jaina shivered, although the night was warm. Suddenly, the two twins stiffened and whipped their heads to look at each other. Their eyes met and they simultaneously turned and raced towards the steps—

—only to screech to a halt as Tenel Ka sprinted up them.

"Tenel Ka! Did you—" Jacen began only to be cut-off by the young warrior girl from Dathmoir.

"Friends Jacen and Jaina! Your mother—they called—they are not sure but I doubt—it is important—" she exclaimed incoherently to the twins.

"What—"

"Did you—"

"Please—"

"How come—"

"When was—"

"Who's not sure—"

The three babbled excitedly, drowning out the other's words.

"_Twee-eeet!_" a loud whistle rang out silencing the young Jedi. "Yo, guys! Shut-up. Nobody can hear anything." Zekk called from the stairwell door, just catching up to the faster Tenel Ka. "now," he continued, "how about Tenel Ka and I start by explaining, and _then _you can interrogate us, okay?"

Jaina laughed weakly and went to stand by the tall, dark haired young man. "Good idea, Zekk," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. 

"One thing. Can we sit down? After racing after Tenel Ka through the entire Jedi Temple…sheesh! How do you run so _fast_?" Zekk laughed as he and Jaina slid to the floor and leaned against the wall.

"Shall I start?" Tenel Ka asked. 

"Go ahead, " Zekk replied, "you were there the whole time, not me." 

"Very well." Tenel Ka and Jacen sat also before she continued. "We received a priority-override message from Coruscant. They—" 

"Mom and Dad? Are they—" Jaina began, before Zekk shushed her:

"She'll tell you if you let her."

Tenel Ka resumed her narrative: "They did not know where the Chief-of-State was."

"Oh _no_."

"However they do have some suspicions…" The Hapean princess hesitated. 

"About?…" Jaina prompted.

"What was it, Tenel Ka?" Jacen asked. Zekk looked uncomfortable. 

"It appears as if someone just walked in—_through _the balcony doors—"

"Ouch," Jacen said. _Those balcony doors are _really_ strong with _major_ good security systems…_ he thought.

"—and _apparently_ blew-up a glowstick _silently _with—they believe—a muted assassin's blaster, then picked up your mother and walker out, got in a ship and flew away…sometime last night." 

"And nobody _noticed_? What about _Winter_? Last _night_?" the twins asked incredulously. 

"This is a fact…apparently. Although Jedi Tionne did not suggest this—"

"Like she had time to suggest _anything_ before you sprinted out? All she said was 'I think you should go tell the—' and you were gone." Zekk interrupted. 

Tenel Ka gave Zekk a look like "and what did you want me to do? Stand there when I knew what she would say? We didn't have time to discuss this with the committee," then continued with her idea: "Although Jedi Tionne did not suggest this, I believe it would be good if we went to Coruscant and tried to find out for certain who it was and what happened."

"Good idea!" Jacen leapt to his feet, "let's go!"

"Uh…Friend Jacen, I believe you may want your boots and lightsaber, at least, first."

Jacen looked down at his empty belt and bare feet as if he'd never seen them before. "Oh. Right. Hey, and I should feed my pets too."  
"Yeah," Jaina said, "I need my boots and stuff too, but I don't have to feed anything. Go take care of 'em, Jacen. We'll prep the ship after we get our stuff." Jaina glanced at her friends for confirmation and then raced off to finish dressing, the others right on her heels. 

Less than ten minutes later, after the faster packing job and ship-prepping the young Jedi Knights had ever completed, the Hapean cruiser _Rock Dragon_ lifted off right in front of sleepy, surprised Jedi Trainees, en route to Coruscant.


	7. Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN ****

CHAPTER SEVEN

Tenel Ka sat in the back of the _Rock Dragon_, rebraiding her red hair in the traditional style worn by Dathmorian warriors. Zekk stooped to get under the low bulkhead them leaned down to talk to her.

"Tenel Ka," he whispered.

"Yes, Friend Zekk?" 

"Ssh!" He looked around to see if the twins or Lowbacca were nearby then continued, "when are you going to tell them about Anakin?" 

Tenel Ka looked uncomfortable. "I do not know…I did not want to worry them any more than they already were…"

"Well, I know I said I wanted you to tell them, but if you don't do it soon…Please tell them. I don't want too, either!"

_Why does hyperspace look so colorful when it's really nothing…_ Jacen Solo wondered absentmindedly as he stared out the viewports. Frankly, he didn't care what hyperspace looked like, or why, but anything that took his mind off…_it_…was welcome, now. He was so far lost in his melancholy reverie, in fact, that the gently touch of a hand on his arm and a whisper in his ear made him jump.

"Tenel Ka," said Jacen, "hi…" he saw the expression on her face, "what's wrong?" he asked.

"Jacen, my friend…" she hesitated, "I have to tell you something else, too. It is…not good."

_Uh-oh_, Jacen thought, _it has to be pretty bad, considering…_"What?"

"Your…brother, Anakin…he…nor your father…can be found..."

"Why don't they just call dad on the comm? If he's in the _Falcon_, they can get him on the ship, can't they?"

"They…can call the ship, but…nobody has answered the comm for a…very, _very_ long time and Coruscant is getting extremely worried about your father's silence…and your brother, they know for certain, is not with him."  
"How do they know that?"

"Because…he was on Yavin IV when your father left…"

"He _was_? But how come we didn't know about this?" Jacen inquired in disbelief.

"I believe that the other Jedi students were instructed not to inform you, or us, because of…what transpired."

"Huh? What happened that was such a big deal?" 

Again, Tenel Ka hesitated, before replying. "I…do not _know_. I was not there at the time, either."  
Jacen could sense that she wasn't telling the truth—at least not the whole truth—and he'd caught the indicative emphasis on one word—"_know_"—but he decided not to press her. If Tenel Ka thought he ought to know, she would have told him.

"Alright…I sure hope they find them soon…maybe we could look for them after we see what happened on Coruscant…Why do bad things always happen at the same time?"

"That, my friend, I do not know…"

"Smeggin' Kest-spawned Sith!" rang out over the comm. It was immediately followed by other, just as colorful and twice as ugly-sounding, comments that could have made a Hutt blush…except that Han had heard at least half of them _from _Hutts. 

The object of Han's attentions replied just as colorfully and just as originally.

"Don't you know how to smeggin fly, you cross-bred _fftebb_ little fnarling bast—"

"Who you calling a lousy flyer, you moth-eaten worm-spitted slimeball son of a—"

"Who the Sith do you think you smeggin are, anyway? Han Solo?"

"Actually, kriffer, I _am_."

"Yeah, and I'm a Hutt Princess."

"Well, how about that? I didn't know there was such a thing as Huttese royalty."

Han's comment was followed quickly by another spout of foul language as his opponent lit the comm up.

"I'll show _you_ who can fly, you little garbage-bag of a—"

"Sure," Han sneered, "you're on. I'll beat you with one—Sith, I'll beat you without _one_ smeggin _co_-_pilot_ in a _YT-1300_!"

"Wanna _bet_?"  
"_Fine_. Fifty?"  
"You're on!"

Mara Jade-Skywalker hadn't thought things could get all that worse. Han wasn't talking, Chewie was _Sith_ knows-where, and the rest to the galaxy seemed to be conspiring against them as well…Especially this blasted mud-hole of a planet, _Dagobah_! "Sithspawned insects!" Mara slapped her hands in the air in front of her, trying to shoo away the small vermin. 

"Relax, Mara. They're only bugs…They won't hurt you."

"Shut-up, Skywalker. Just because _you_ can project Force-shields that keeps bugs away doesn't mean that _I _can!"

"Mara, Mara…what a _mood_ you're in…Watch that temp—ERRRRRRRR!" Luke suddenly slipped and fell to the swampy ground as Mara threw a clump of mud at her husband's face. "Hey! What was _that_ for?"

"_That_ was for the bug shield…but _this_ is for the 'temper' I have." Mara scooped up another handful of mud and tossed it at the Jedi Master's face.

"Hey! Mara—" Luke gave up and grabbed a handful of mud himself and, with careful aim, let it fly directly at his wife—

—but his footing was too slippery, and instead the Jedi Master ended up landing face-first in the murky, muddy swamp of Dagobah. 

"Smeg…" muttered Jaina Solo, as she wiped an oily hand across her forehead, pushing her hair out of her eyes. She looked so much like a female version of her father, Han Solo, that it would be impossible not to know that they were related. 

That relation was something Zekk wasn't always too happy about…especially when he saw how beautiful she was…and remembered what her father would do to him if he ever touched her. _She is so beautiful…it almost hurts…and to think she might like _me _as much as _I _like her…_ It still amazed Zekk whenever he thought about it. To think, I girl like her with a guy like him…

And now he had to tell her that her father and brother couldn't be found…might be captives, might be _dead_… _Kest…why does someone like that have to suffer so much? And then there's me…_I _made her suffer even more…_ It hurt Zekk so badly he wished he could die when he thought of all the pain he'd caused her…and she _still_ loved him…It just blew him away, the wonder of her…

"Oh! Hi Zekk…I hate power de-fuelers…What's up?"

"Um, well…not much…uh…"  
Jaina immediately knew something was wrong. Something _big_. "What?" she asked sharply, "What's wrong?"

"Uh, Jaina…I have to tell you something…"

"What?" The way she looked at him…so trusting…so naive…she didn't have any idea what he had to tell her…it just about broke his heart to think he had to give her any more pain.

"Zekk, what _is _it…It's really bad, isn't it? Tell me, Zekk. It's okay, just tell me."

"Oh Jaina…" his voice cracked with emotion, "Jaina…I…I love you…"

"I know, Zekk. Why is that so bad?" Jaina looked so innocent, so beautiful…it made his heart ache. 

Zekk leaned down and took her face in his hands. "Jaina Solo, you are absolutely stunning. I love you so much…"

"I love you, two Zekk. I—"

Zekk completely forgot all about lost people and dead Wookiees and every other painful fact the galaxy threw at them as they kissed. He knew he still had to tell her.

And he would. Later.

__

Much later…


	8. Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT ****

CHAPTER EIGHT

Boba Fett was a bounty hunter—he was the _best _bounty hunter—and he did not enjoy doing nothing. He had been asked before what he did with all his credits—which was nobody's business but his own; many of the askers wouldn't be asking _anything _again—but one thing was well known. He didn't _waste_ them by doing nothing. Everything he did had a purpose, even this _nothing_, and Fett was patient, but that didn't mean he _enjoyed _it…especially with fools like Ras Alvtorr around to deal with. 

"Really, I don't see why—I mean, of course, you've told me before that you don't', that you won't, yes, but, well—I just don't see why you refuse—or at least you decline, you reject my offers to become part of this glorious future—I know, you've said, you don't get _involved_, that's not a bounty hunter's prerogative—but, well, still, you should, you know. You really should! After all, it's not as if this was a _normal_ petty little political scheme I'm proposing here! I'm giving you the chance of a lifetime, you know. Yes, the chance of a lifetime! You could join—"

"No."

"You refuse—you insist—you never allow me to fully explain, to entirely inform you of this—"

"No."

"But—but—but—but—you…You really should listen to me, you know. You could learn a lot, Boba Fett…"

The bounty hunter no longer listened. It was like changing the station on a comm, or tuning it out. The Dark Jedi fool kept babbling on, but since Fett never showed any reaction, he didn't know the hunter was ignoring him. 

It was dangerous not to hear things, but to not listen…that was different. It was deadly to not hear, but Fett had trained himself to ignore things that were irrelevant.

"…answer, you know, I mean, I really do expect—"

"I am going to check on the Wookiee."

"But—but—but—but…"

Fett turned and strode away from the sputtering Dark Jedi, leaving Alvtorr to babble incoherently to the walls…

They paid more attention to him.

Lowie came hustling around the corridor of the _Rock Dragon_. He knew Jaina had gone to tinker with the ship's inners somewhere in this direction. The young Wookiee wanted to find her and Zekk to tell them they were close to their destination and would be leaving hyperspace soon so the two could join the other friends in the cockpit.

He stopped, when he saw the two embracing. Embarrassed, the adolescent Jedi Knight started to slip back the way he'd come when the two broke apart quickly, blushing.

"Um, hi Lowie." Jaina, her face beat red tucked some of her disheveled hair behind an ear.

"Errn howrf grrff nerff…"

"No, that's okay Lowie…you don't have to go. We were, just, um…" Jaina's voice trailed off, at a loss for words.

Lowie looked at Zekk, wondering what the dark haired young man thought of his horrible intrusion, and almost burst out laughing. He hadn't known a human could _get _that red. 

"Was there…um, something you needed…er…"

Jaina's voice reminded Lowbacca of the reason he'd been here in the first place. He growled quickly in short, sharp Wookiee-barks.

"About to exit hyperspace? Already? Jeez, we just stopped for a minute…um, well…I guess we should go the cockpit, huh?"

Lowie growled back in affirmative and quickly extracted himself from the uncomfortable situation. He didn't think Jacen would be too happy with Zekk…but Lowie didn't want his friends to think he was a snitch. _After all_, he figured, _Jacen and Jaina are Jedi Twins. They probably already know. I don't want to make any more of a fool of myself than I have already_.

That's true…Jacen probably already knew…and Zekk had probably told Jaina by now about the horrible news that Tenel Ka had just told him.

Poor Chewie, if he was still here, he'd think he'd failed his life-debt…

But then, if Chewie was still here, none of this would have happened… 

Chewbacca roared again; he knew it was useless—not only was this place large enough that Leia could be kilometers away, but the door and walls of his cell were probably sound-proof. It felt good just to be able to vent his frustration. He had already left a substantial dent in the right-rear wall of his cell, bruised both his hands and feet, and singed nearly all the fur off his left hand—which was now numb—trying to get through the force-shield bars. He was just preparing for another attempt when the door slid silently open.

It was…that…that…that…_evil creature_…that…Chewie, with all his extensive vocabulary (thanks in part to Han and Lando) couldn't come up with _just the right word_ to describe the loathing he felt for Ras Alvtorr…but that didn't stop him from using some passable substitutes!

"Now, now, master Chew Bacca, we must not have this…why look now, Chew Bacca, you have harmed yourself! You really should control that temper better you know…" he laughed evilly in what Chewie figured Palpatine would have sounded like had been both insane (well, more so than he was) and drinking a slimy, oily liquid. It made Chewie's fur raise and sent a chill up his spine…it was a more unhealthy sound than _any _the Wookiee had heard in his many years… He shivered with revulsion and more than a little fear…

Winter stared at the terminal monitor, but she wasn't seeing it. She was remembering…and since she never forgot anything, that was a normal pastime for her…but she was rarely so melancholy when she reviewed her memories. 

This time, she felt not only sad like thoughts of home brought (she was an Alderaanian), but guilty as well. 

She should have noticed the downward spiral the Princess's family was going through and taken pains to prevent anything like…_this_…from happening. Had she bothered to make certain, the princess would never have been captured—and certainly not without anyone noticing for a day! Nor would young Anakin have fallen to the Dark Side. Winter felt no compulsions about snooping when the safety of her friends and charges depended on information she could find—after all, during the Rebellion, she had been the infamous and Imperially-despised "Targeter" and "Recorder" and…her list of code names stretched on and on. She was one of the few who was able to remember them…because she forgot nothing—which made her feel even _more _guilty. 

Things like this had happened many times before; she should be able to prevent at least _some _of them! In hindsight, she could see the pattern. But hindsight wouldn't help her now. And at the moment, she was searching her memory for a clue. 

Despite her total-recall abilities, Winter was having trouble pinpointing this…and she _knew _it was familiar! The comm buzzed, distracting her from her reverie. The dignified aid to Princess Leia gracefully swiveled in her chair and reached out a slim arm to answer it.

"Yes, this is the Organa-Solo residence. May I help you—Admiral Ackbar," Winter smiled, pleased to see the Calamarian hero of the Rebellion.

"Winter," Ackbar replied in his gravelly, fishy voice.

"Is there something I can assist you with, Admiral?"

Ackbar cleared his throat. "Actually, Winter, this is purely a social visit…I am not in the personage of the New Republic at the moment. I am only 'Ackbar', not 'Admiral' right now."

"I see…Ackbar. How are you?"

"The same as the rest of my colleagues, I'm afraid…at our wits end over what to do next…but actually, I was calling to inquire as to how _you _were doing."

Winter knew he wasn't speaking about her health—not entirely—but rather how she was holding up under the strain of…all _this_… But that question was not one she wanted to answer at the moment. Not even to someone as good a friend as Ackbar was. 

She would go for the common, simple answer instead. "I am well, thank you. I am grieved to hear you are faring poorly, friend," she answered in the elaborate Alderaanian style.

"Winter, that is not what I mean at all and you know it. I am your friend, and I would like to know how you are holding up under this strain that we are all feeling." 

_So_, she thought, _he will not be put off. I suppose that is what makes a true friend; someone who worries about you even when you don't want them to. Still, I wish he were not so persistent at times_. "Admiral, really. You are the head of the New Republic Military, while I am merely an aid to Princess Leia Organa-Solo. You must have a far more pressing concerns than this."

"Winter, I hope that you do not think I am so callused…so _Imperial_ in my tactics. I care not only for the entire New Republic, but also for my friends. And I hope that I may call you one of them," the fishy Calamarian Admiral replied, serious-sounding as he usually was, but with worry shading his voice as well. 

"Ackbar—" Winter's normally dignified, calm demeanor evaporated under him concern, and she cried the tears she'd been holding back for years…She didn't remember ever crying so hard…not since she'd learned about _Alderaan_.

Ackbar didn't realize for a moment what was happening—he may have spent a lot of time around humans, but he was still a Calamarian, where excess moister was nothing abnormal—then his fish eyes filled with concern. "Winter, what is wrong? These—tears. You weep—you are saddened." 

Winter sniffled, trying to bring her watering eyes back under control. "You must think I'm extremely odd to be crying now, when I should be working on solving the problem—"

"No," Ackbar had replied, "I believe that now you shall be better—if what little I understand of humans is actually what I believe it is."

This cheered Winter, and she was able to reply without her voice trembling, "Admiral, there are humans who understand less of our species than you do…But I do feel rather foolish, crying now. If you will excuse me, I am going to pull myself together and continue with my research."

"Of course, Winter. And remember I am here for you anytime you need anything."

"Thank you Ackbar. Your comradeship means much to me."

"To me as well, my friend. And may the Force be with you." 

Winter stood and started for the refresher to wash her face when something the Admiral had said struck her—"If what little I understand of humans is actually what I believe it is…" Why did that seem so familiar… Winter closed her eyes and concentrated, dredging up things long, long past. It was only her infallible memory that allowed her to do so… She had it:

_Long ago, on Alderaan, when Winter was only ten years old, Bail Organa had been faced with a dilemma of a sinister nature…_

Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, friends even before the climatic events that would shake the galaxy to its foundations called the "Empire" had often conferred on matters difficult, taxing events. 

Outside the door to the conference room, two little girls had played with their dolls. One was the Alderaanian princess, Leia Organa, the other her friend and aid-to-be for when the little girl was of an age to assume diplomatic duties, known then only as Winter. While Leia scurried off to her room to retrieve a different dress for the dolls, Winter had sat down next to the door, resting her head against it…unwittingly becoming privy to a conversation she would not understand the significance of until mush later.

She had heard the voice of Mon Mothma, another Senator and a frequent correspondent with the Prince of Alderaan, Bail Organa, speaking: 

"Bail, you cannot know what even those who do have the Force do not acknowledge."

"They do not acknowledge it because they do not wish too! We, of all people should realize how easy it is to do that, with what has transpired here…"

"You make a point, but how would you explain…that_?" Mothma had responded. _

"If what little I understand of the Force is actually what I believe it is, then this…thing_…is more than an abomination! He is a disgrace, not only to the old Jedi, but also, if I am correct, to this 'Dark Side' we see the evidence of," Bail Organa had replied._

"Then," Mon Mothma had said, "what shall we do of this…abomination?"

"I do not know. But it must be drastic—and it must be soon! If the Empire notices this 'Ras Alvtorr' I shiver to think what they will use him for."

"It would be worse even than what they did to…Anakin," she whispered, and Winter had quickly scrambled away from the door, eyes wide.

Something that could make those two—both grownups and people who deserved respect from other _grownups—those two that Winter so looked-up to and idolized _had_ to be something too horrible to imagine. _

Suddenly, Alderaan, even under the protection of Bail Organa, didn't seem quite so safe to the young girl with silver hair…

Winter stood just as stiffly with eyes just as wide as she had as a young girl who had just overheard that conversation. This was worse than she would have thought…if it was _him_. She had later asked Bail Organa who Ras Alvtorr was, and he had looked both sickened and frightened, and told her not to worry. They—Mon Mothma's followers as well as Bail's—had made certain he would be unable to be found by anyone—not the Empire, and not by himself. At the time, she thought they had permanently gotten rid of him…and so had Bail Organa. They had not killed him, as Winter in her youthful, black and white, clear-cut, good vs. evil mind-set had believed. 

And now he was back, perhaps taking his revenge out on Leia for her father's actions. The thought filled Winter with fear and revulsion. She had to contact Ackbar and Dodonna _right away_…and then, with Mon Mothma…

It was raining. Rather hard. On most planets, that wouldn't be a big deal. But considering that it hardly ever rained here—at least not hard—it was something spectacular. It was even more spectacular considering that it was all at the hands of one young boy named Anakin Solo.

Especially since an Anakin had visited here before…Anakin _Skywalker_. And the planet was still suffering the effects of that visit…which was the reason that it hardly even rained here. Most of the water had evaporated in the fire-explosion-attack that had just about destroyed half the planet. 

Of course, Anakin _Solo_ didn't know any of this. And he was having a fine old time creating the biggest storm ever recorded in the history of the planet…well, maybe not a "fine old time" considering that his mood alternated between seething anger and hysterical mirth. He alternately cursed and laughed as the Dark Side danced in lightning bolts over his finger tips…

The sight was so similar to one that had nearly obliterated all life on their planet that the natives regarded it with terror and hatred…the feelings of the Dark Side. Anakin's—_both_ Anakin's—fear and pain had fuelled the storm, and then the fire…And another fire was close to being unleashed here…

One of the brasher, younger men—who had not been here to personally witness the destruction—strode up behind Anakin, a blade in his hand. He had walked right up to Anakin's back before the young Jedi decided to notice him and the threat he might have posed.

"What…do you think you were going to _do_?!" Anakin roared at him and clenched his fist. The man felt invisible fingers tighten around his throat, and childhood stories came rushing back to him. 

"Annkin Skghh…" he gasped and choked as Anakin tightened his grip.

"_What_ did you _say_?"

"Anakin…Sky…walk…er…"

The boy's cold blue eyes flashed with lightning and the man's eyes rolled back in his sockets. His neck cracked with a sickening _crunch_ and Anakin threw the body aside like a rag doll and it rolled on the ground before coming to a stop.

"I am _not_…_DARTH VADER!!!_" he cried out, creaming his fury to the storm, and the rain turned to strokes of lightning, flaming down form the sky. His eyes flashed with blue fire and the energy of the Dark Side built up around and within him. With a howl, he released the lighting-blue crackle of energy over the planet, dooming it just as before.

Just as another Anakin, form many years ago, had also done so.

Just like Darth Vader had…


	9. Chapter Nine

****

CHAPTER NINE

Jaina, Lowbacca, Jacen, Zekk, and Tenel Ka sat anxiously in the cockpit of the _Rock Dragon_ as they waited for the planetary shield to be lowered. It was taking even longer than usual. When the comm controller came back on line, they _knew_ something was wrong.

"Uh…Your Royal Highnesses, Jacen and Jaina Solo, I am sorry, but the New Republic Security cannot allow you to enter the planet's atmosphere." 

"What? Why not?" the twins spoke in perfect unison.

"I…oh, dear, this is _so _embarrassing…um, well, you two could be, but your friends aren't cleared with security…" the Bothan seemed to stare directly at Zekk as she said this and Jaina bristled.

"Why _not_," she asked pointedly. "What's _wrong_ with them?"

"Oh! Nothing! I mean, I would _never_ presume to insult…_your_ friends! It's _certainly_ no concern of mine, I mean, the children of the Chief-of-State and of—"

"We already know who our parents are. Now how about you tell us just _why_ you can't let our friends onto the planet, okay?"

"It's just…well, security you know…since the…er, _incident_, security has become very tight, and we aren't allowed to let just _anybody_ in, you know. Not that your friends are just _anybody_ but…oh dear…I mean, the New Republic doesn't _know_ them, and…"

"Then how about we make the _introductions_, okay?"

"Er, well…um…"

Jaina began, "This," she gestured to her friend, "is Tenel Ka Chume Djo, Dathmorian warrior, Jedi Knight, _and_ the _princess_ of _Hapes_…granddaughter of the former Queen-Mother _Ta'a Chume_?" The comm officer's fur bristled in nervousness…and maybe a little bit of fear.

__

Apparently, Tenel Ka "thought" dryly to her friends, _the stories of my grandmother have reached Coruscant_. Weak mental giggles followed her comment.

"And _this_," Jaina continued, "is Zekk, a _Jedi Knight_ and a _hero_ of the New Republic." 

The comm officer's fur rose even higher as Jacen took up where his sister left off, "and _this_ is _Lowbacca the Wookiee_, also a Jedi Knight and also…the nephew of _Chewbacca_ the Wookiee…whom I assume you've heard about?" The Bothan's fur rose so high it looked almost comical. "Now," he continued, "can we land?"

"Uh…er, yes...um…of course…er…"

"_Thanks_," Jaina cut off the nervous female as she flicked the comm off. 

The _Rock Dragon_ coasted down to the private landing bay of the Chief-of-State…who was nobody knew where...or, if she was even still alive…

Leia was ready to kill something if she didn't get out of here soon. She was either going to go crazy with boredom or turn to the Dark Side if she had to listen to that…that…_Alvtorr_ babble any more. She was so _sick_ of listening to that…that…_thing_ she thought she was going to throw-up…If she hadn't been stronger disciplined of mind, she might have seriously considered taking her lightsaber to _one_ of them—himself _or_ her—long before! As it was, whenever he began talking, she had started to contemplate it…

__

Arrgh, she thought, _what's taking them so _long_? Why haven't they rescued me yet? Surely someone had to have noticed when the _Slave_ whatever number it was had landed on her balcony and taken off with her! Her Noghri bodyguards, at least! _Unless they were all dead…that sobered her. What if Fett _had_ killed them all to capture her? What if…what if he killed _Winter_, too? The thought sent chills through her soul. What if Winter was…was…_dead_? 

"No," she whispered, "no." No. It just couldn't…it couldn't…not two of her best friends—friends so close they were family—not this close together! It wasn't _fair_! It wasn't…

"No!" she cried, "No! It's not _fair_! No!"

She pounded her fist against the wall futilely and leaned her tear-streaked face against it. "No," she whispered, "_no_…"

She was surprised when a moment later, she heard dull banging echoing back to her. 

"Wha…" She quickly tapped back in blink code: —Hello—

—Can't hear you— it tapped back, —louder—

—Trying. As loud as I can get it— Already her knuckles were stinging from the impact.

—Try using metal food dish— the unknown banger replied.

—What? Oh— Leia picked up the empty tray. —This better? —

—Much—, it replied, —Who are you? —

—Why should I trust you? Why don't you tell me who you are first?— the cautious princess insisted.

—Won't believe me if I do—

—Try me— she replied, thinking wryly that nothing much would surprise her here and now.

—No. You think I'm… it trailed off.

—Think you're what? Who are you? How do I know I can trust you? — she asked, perplexed.

The thudding stopped, as if thinking, then shocked Leia even more fully than before:

—Are you just about beady to get out of here? —

Leia gasped and dropped the metal tray. The only people who could know about _that_ private joke were close friends or family…

—Who are you? Who else have they kidnapped? — Leia tried to stretch out with the Force, but she was too tired. She'd been too keyed-up and nerve wracked lately to sleep…and too afraid, considering her location!

—I can not tell you who I am. You would not believe it. You must just trust me—

For some reason Leia couldn't have explained—even to herself—she felt inclined to trust this stranger…whoever it was!

The young Jedi Knights raced down the corridors of the former Imperial Palace, brushing past dignitaries and ambassadors with "excuse me"s thrown haphazardly over their shoulders. They screeched to a halt in front of a group of guards standing in front of the Chief-of-State's suit.

"Hold up there, youngsters…Oh, excuse me! I didn't recognize y'all, ma'ams, sirs. I'm, er, afreed y'all will hafta be scanned eend such afore we kin let ya' in ter th' rooms, though."

"Sure, sure, Jackson, just hurry, _please_!" Jacen jiggled his feet impatiently as the guards pulled scanning equipment from their belts and pouches.

"Hold on a sec!" Jaina cried, "What's the big idea? Why are you guarding our home _now_? There isn't anybody you can protect any_more_!" she let contempt and ridicule seep liberally into her voice and the guards blushed with shame.

"Weel now, missy, it's jist that it's standeerd per-ceed-yi-er and such-not. No offense inteended, of keers." 

"Well I think it's pretty darn useless, especially when you could be looking for her or guarding someone who _wasn't _kidnapped—under your noses, too!"

The guards looked everywhere but at the five Jedi confronting them. Staring at his shoes with interest, Jackson continued, shamefacedly, "now, missy, ah hate ta' be insultin' and such, but we ain't got no_ choice_ in th' matter." A murmur of agreement came from the others behind him. "It ain't that _we're_ insitin' on eet, it's that _they_ are!"

"Really?" Jacen became, his voice thick with scorn, but Tenel Ka interrupted:  
"I cannot believe that New Republic guards would be so incapable. Why, even out in the Hapes System, our guards are trained to protect the Royal Family from attack—surely something so simple as an obvious kidnapping should not confound _your_ efforts! And I would think that such—such useless counter-moves would be above _you_. Even the poorest ambassador from the smallest, most underprivileged planets can afford _competent_ guards for protection." What the Hapean princess _didn't _tell them was that on Hapes, if you _didn't _have competent and able guards, you wouldn't last long. Some assassin or another would pay you a…_visit_. But the guards didn't know that, and under Tenel Ka's scornful disdain, they looked like they wanted to melt right through the floor. 

"Now," she sounded even more disgusted, "I would _suggest_ that you find something _useful _to do with yourselves." The dejected and ridiculed guard slunk away with many apologies and shamed looks. 

"Nice one, Tenel Ka!" Jacen whispered to her.

You couldn't be sure, but a faint blush _might _have tinged her cheeks, although she belittled it. "On Hapes," she replied, "you learn quickly how to deal with guards and the like. It is an 'art' learned at an early age. I did no more than apply my training."

"But you did good, still! Why…" Jacen's voice trailed off as he beheld his parent's room. 

"Smeggin Kest…" Jaina whispered. 

The others were more than inclined to agree.

The room was a shambles. The bedspread was twisted and mussed, pieces of an exploded glowlamp lay everywhere, the thick carpet showed signs of a struggle, and the windows to the balcony were fixed weakly with a quickie-repair job, and…The twins and their friends looked about in surprise and horror.

"Who—or what—could have done _this_?" Jacen wondered quietly.

Lowie moaned in agreement. The others felt the same…

"Master Lowbacca comments that he detects a heavy stench of ozone, such as is commonly the result when a silent-assassin's blaster, model 275-IKKb 2000 is employed," Em Teedee translated and embellished.  
"Ah. Aha. It would appear to me that he merely said 'this stinks, like when they use an assassin's black-bolt,'" Tenel Ka commented wryly as she studied the carpet.

"Humph," said Em Teedee, miffed.

"Hey, guys! Check this out!" Jaina exclaimed from where she was examining the door hinges. 

"What is it, Jaina?" Zekk asked, standing up besides her.

"These hinges…it _looks_ as if someone opened them using some kind of technology…I'm not sure how, or with what, though. And I _could_ be wrong." 

"Some kind of illegal security-breaking technology?" Jacen wondered.

"I have heard of such things before. They are highly illegal…and _highly_ expensive. Even my _grandmother_, Ta'a Chume, said they were little seen because of their cost."

"Whoo…" Jacen whistled, "now _that's _gotta be a lot of creds!"

"Somebody had to want mom pretty badly to spend that much…or else they do this sort of thing a pretty often…"

"Ah-_ha_!" Tenel Ka cried exultantly.

Lowie rumbled a query, and knelt down next to the warrior girl.

"I have found markings in the carpet, such as would be made if someone wearing spiked boots had stood here. And here, they are heavier, which would show the owner of the boots was carrying something…And here, she or he turns quickly this way…and then this…"

"You can read all that from the _carpet_?" Jacen asked in surprise. "I mean, I knew you were a tracker, but still…"

"A Dathmorian would find it more difficult, but, " she raised an eyebrow, "on Hapes, thick, rich carpets are quite common."

"Tenel Ka," Jacen peered at her, "did you just make a _joke_?"

"Did you find that funny? It was merely a fact." Despite her serious tone, Jacen thought he detected a glint of merriment in her eyes.

"Aw, Sithspit…" Zekk whispered.

"Arrough rowf herrrn?" Lowie asked, and Zekk replied quietly before Em Teedee could translate for him:

"I think…I know who this…who this _has_ to be…"

"Who?" the others asked in unison, whipping their heads around to stare at the dark haired young man.

"It _has_ to be…but…It's _Boba Fett_…"

"Boba _Fett_? How do you figure _that_?" Jaina stared at Zekk, wondering how the former street-urchin could have figured out not only what happened but also a specific _who_ from something an experienced tracker like Tenel Ka couldn't.

"Well, er, I _was_ a bounty hunter, you know, for a time. I kinda met up with him a couple times and I've heard some of the stories and nobody else I've heard of could have pulled this thing off."

"A _bounty hunter_, like _him_, with equipment _Ta'a Chume_ called expensive? C'mon, Zekk, pull the other one!" Jacen knew his friend wouldn't deliberately lie, but he had a healthy respect—and a more than a bit of fear—for the old matriarch. If someone with _that many_ credits said it cost a lot, it cost a _lot_.

"Can you think of any other bounty hunter who'd have even _half _as many credits to buy stuff like that with? And he _would_ use it a lot…"

"True, but how can you be so _sure_?"

"Trust me, Jacen. Boba Fett may be just some bounty hunter, but he didn't earn a reputation as the best bounty hunter with a lot of smoke and magician's tricks…He _earned _it…and _that_ is what has me worried. If he's got your mom, it'll be pretty hard to get her back form him." Zekk, in his naivete, didn't bother to think that since nobody before them—with considerably more experience then them—had ever gotten anyone out of Fett's hands he hadn't had _some_ reason to give up, _they_ couldn't. 

Pride comes before a fall. And the higher up you stand, the _harder_ you fall…


	10. Chapter Ten

****

CHAPTER TEN

"Are you _sure_ that's the only way, Zekk?"

"Yes, Jaina, for the hundredth time, I'm sure. _I_ have to go after your mother—and Boba Fett—because I'm the one who's had the most experience with him. You and Jacen—at least one of you—has to go after your brother for obvious reasons, and somebody else has to go after your father—"

"And since Lowie, Em Teedee, and Sirra—if Lowie can get her—would work best together because nobody else is as familiar with Lowie's sister or the Wookiee language, they'd be the obvious ones to work together. And to look for dad, because I swear he knows as much Wookiee as a Wookiee would. And nobody should be on their own—that'd be too hard."

"I'm sorry, Jaina, you know if I could I'd rather have it some other way. It's just that—"

Lowie broke in with a series of growls.

"But, would that work…"

Lowie growled more, waving a hand to forestall more of Jaina's questions. He spoke in a patronizing voice, as if wondering how humans could be so blind.

"Are you _sure_, though—"

"He _sounds _pretty sure, Jaina. I think it's a good idea…it works well." He leaned closer to her, "And I know there's no one else I'd rather have as a copilot than you."

"Well, um, I'm not—"

Lowie growled slyly, and Jaina blushed. 

Zekk laughed, "No, I don't think Tenel Ka and Jacen will be any more upset with it than we will!"

"Zekk!" Jaina elbowed him playfully, "I guess we'll prep the ships while you get in touch with your sister, Lowie."

The Wookiee nodded his furry head and turned off towards the comm center.

* * *

"Lowie!" his sister roared her greeting, "Hey, I didn't expect to hear from you for a while—what's wrong?"

Lowie replied quickly to his sister, giving her a rapid overview of the situation. Her furry brow wrinkled in concentration. She agreed with him of the importance of things, but asked what he thought _she _could do about it. After all, she was only a junior pilot—only just graduated to her own small ship to help with escort duty.

Quickly, Lowie outlined his plan…

* * *

Coruscant Control was operating on low-maintenance duty right now, with only a few personnel on duty compared to the hundreds that normally filled the comm offices… Of course, they only needed a few personnel; just enough to tell people that _no_, they _couldn't _leave right now, and _no_, they _didn't _know how long it would be until they could. 

That's what made today all the more unusual for a junior comm officer working her stint in the communications center. Suddenly, her board lit-up with requests for lift-off.

"The _Lightning Rod_ requesting clearance for take-off, Coruscant Control."

"Clearance denied—wait—er, um…actually…oh, um, clearance granted, _Lightning Rod_…" 

"Thank you, Coruscant Control. _Lightning Rod _out."

In the cockpit of Zekk's ship, two young Jedi Knights flew off after the _Slave VII_—normally termed a suicide mission—to search for the missing Chief-of-State Leia Organa-Solo.

"_Rock Dragon_ is requesting permission for departure."  
"Permission…uh, permission granted, _Rock Dragon_, Coruscant Control out."

"Thank you Coruscant Control. _Rock Dragon _out."

In the Hapean Cruiser's cockpit, two more you Jedi trailed another Solo; this time a younger one, also a Jedi, Anakin Solo.

"_Rising Star_ wishes authorization for take-off from Coruscant."

"Permission denied…er, permission _granted_, that is, _Rising Star_…Coruscant Control out," the comm controller replied.

In the small two-person (or two-Wookiee) ship, another young Jedi Knight and his sister also tracked a Solo: Han, in the _Millennium Falcon_. 

Coruscant Control flicked the comm off and waited for further requests—although she doubted there would be any. In this emergency situation, _three_ ships—in a row—wanting to leave and _being_ _allowed to do so_ was more unusual than a Trandoshan and Wookiee getting along. _My,_ thought Coruscant Control_, _that_ was unusual. None of those ships _should _have been allowed to leave. I wonder just _who_ they are—must be somebody _really _important! Even the ambassadors have to go through a lot of channels before they're allowed to leave! Who could they _be_?…_

* * *

Across the galaxy, Jedi everywhere felt the same thing. It varied in intensity depending on their attunement with the Force and the amount of midichlorians in their bodies, but it was the same general feeling. It was one of fear…and then nothing. Many thought it only a bad dream, as for many it was, for it came during the sleeping time for most of the galaxy. It was as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror…and were suddenly silent. _Burned alive_, by the Dark Jedi lightning that ravaged their planet. Again, in less than a century, half of their planet was destroyed…all by a young boy. Destroyed by an angry young boy. Destroyed by an angry young boy with Force talent. 

Destroyed by an angry young boy…named _Anakin_…

* * *

__

Yoda, he tried for the millionth time, _hear me…I need your help, Master…hear me…_

"Still no luck, huh?" Mara's voice broke into his concentration.

Mutely, Luke shook his head "no" and wiped the sweat and swampy moisture from his brow.

"Luke, maybe he doesn't want to hear you."

"But he said—_Ben _said—that Yoda would always be with me. I know I haven't had contact with him for a while, but he was so _strong_ in the Force; when I needed his help the most, I could always contact him…"

"Maybe you have to do it on your own, now. You're the new Jedi Master—"

"But Yoda was more of a master than I could ever be. Everything the Empire destroyed; that's lost to us now, but Yoda knew it all. Surely, here, where he spent his final years, _some _presence would remain—enough that I could contact him, at least! I need his help, his guidance…"

"Luke," Mara sat down next to him, "I know you don't need this help. All you have to do is locate someone who was—_is_—a friend. That can't be so hard that you need a ghost to tell you what to do. Luke, you _don't _need any help. All you need is faith. Come on, farmboy," she smiled, "all the time I've known you, you've had _faith _more than anything or anyone I've ever known. Faith in your friends, faith in your Jedi Master, faith in the Force—don't quit on me _now_! You'll make me look bad."

Mara stood up and pulled Luke to his feet as well. "Now come on, let's go find Chewie before that brother-in-law of ours gets himself in any more trouble than he already is. Besides, aren't _you_ the one that's supposed to give the pep-talks, oh Great Jedi Master, not the ex-Imp assassin?"

The two walked back towards their ship. Luke Skywalker cast one long look back at the place that had been his training center, and sighed. Suddenly he shivered, and found he was staring in the direction of The Cave…the place where he'd fought Darth Vader—and himself—in a dream/Force vision. For a moment, he wondered if the memory had any greater significance, but no, he told himself, it was just a memory.

Just a memory…

* * *

But this was more than "just a memory"…this was something that could save her friend and the women she'd helped and protected since she was a girl! Winter knewthis was only a memory, but for her, a memory was something different. It was a way of storing information, better than any data-pad. Now, she just had to convince Borsk Fey'lya, the Bothan Senator, of that, without giving away her—and Leia's—secret…

"Senator, please, believe me, I am certain. I may be only the aid to Princess Organa-Solo, but I know what must be done to save her. It is true, I can not access these records without your approval—" _well, not without doing some code-slicing, but they don't need to know that_ "—but I do know this. I am not certain how much would even _be _in those records. I have never seen them—"

Fey'lya cut her off: "Then how do you _know_ what you are talking about, aid?"

"I was privy—" _so what if it was eavesdropping they didn't know about? I still heard them_ "—to a conversation between Mon Mothma and Bail Organa about this same entity—"

"And how long ago was _that_? Bail Organa—may he rest in peace, of course—has been dead for many years. How could you still remember so much after so long?"

__

Here comes the tricky part. For all they know, I'm just a simple aid. If they ever did _find out about my memory, they would be most displeased, and one of Leia's most valuable tools would be useless…but if I do not convince them to believe me, she will be dead. And I _cannot_ allow that to happen! _She would have to walk a thin tightrope, then. "Senator, I cannot say that the conversation was of little significant to me at the time; rather, I made specific note of it—" _even though I didn't really understand it, I made note of it because it scared me_ "—and am able to remember much—" _okay, all_ "—of it to this day. I implore you, you must believe me. Princess Organa-Solo's _life _may hang in the balance. Indeed, if I am right, it surely will—"

Just than, Admiral Ackbar burst into the chamber with Mon Mothma following slowly at his heels. 

"What is the meaning of this, Admiral? You cannot just barge in here during a private meeting behind closed doors and—"

"Be silent and listen to me, Fey'lya. This is a matter of grave importance; life and death, actually."

"Well, really—" the Bothan began, but was again cut short.

"I must breach protocol here, both by entering and bringing with me a 'civilian'—" by this he meant Mon Mothma, as if any would _ever _dispute her right to enter _any_ meeting, _any_time "—but I saw it necessary." Ackbar didn't allow anyone to comment or contest his actions, continuing, "we, Mon Mothma and I, have discovered information about that whereabouts of the Chief-of-State—information," Ackbar held up a hand to forestall the questions, "that must be kept secret. Were any news of this to leak out—through aids, secretaries, droids, family members, anyone—it would be disastrous. Instead, I am taking full military emergency-contention, as stated in the agreement of the alliance, under sub-heading four-hundred and ninety-one." 

Although few of the Senators knew what that meant, Winter remembered. It meant that Ackbar would have, for a time, full jurisdiction and authority invested in him to make the decisions that would have impact upon a missing or otherwise indisposed member of the government, as well as a full military-halt being called over all actions that Ackbar wished. He would be able to do just about anything within reason and no one could contest it. Had he been less honorable and a less decorated hero, many would have panicked. Instead, they might only worry about another Empire—a completely preposterous situation considering it was _Ackbar_, but the media and other scandalous persons would not be denied their right to criticize and insult. 

The Senators' murmurings and gasps were also cut to an abrupt end when Ackbar continued. "This body, then, is dismissed until further notice."

"What?" came voices in many languages, "Why in all the heavens of Dreegann…" "How?" "What'd he say?" and "He doesn't have the right—"

"I assure you, Senators, I _do _have that right, and I am exercising it. You may all return to your homes—but I would ask that you not leave the planet. Security has become very tight—"

"You insult us! Do you mean that _we_—we, the Senators of the New Republic—would become _traitors_?" someone shrieked.

"No," replied the admiral calmly, "I merely say that we could not guarantee _your _safety. And we would not wish to loose _you _as well—any of you." Winter knew _that _was a lie—Ackbar, she was sure, would not care, personally, if Fey'lya were to jump off a cliff this very minute. In fact, he might even be—secretly—a little happy if the unpleasant Bothan were to kick the bucket.

"But—what about _her_," someone asked, "and _her_?"

"Winter and Mon Mothma are needed here to council with me. I require their knowledge of this threat. _You_, however, are dismissed. I must confer in private with these two." Ackbar's gravely voice carried a hint of steel as he basically ordered the Senators to leave—now. 

With muttered grumbling about pompous dictators and favoritism, they departed, leaving the Mon Calamarian Admiral, the Alderaanian woman, and the elderly hero alone. 

"Well," Mon Mothma commented wryly, "that went better than I'd thought, with Fey'lya here."

Ackbar laughed shortly, "this is true. Now, on to darker matters. I take it that it is…true, what I've heard? There is a new threat—and one that seems to have captured Leia from us?"

Winter nodded mutely and the three Rebellion heroes put their heads together, trying to think of a solution…before it was too late.

* * *

__

Too late! The though rang like quicksilver through Tenel Ka's dream. _Too late! It's too late! _"Jacen!" she cried, stumbling from her berth towards the cockpit. "Jacen, it's too late! We're too late!" 

"Wha—" he swiveled around to face her as she rushed in, "Too late for _what_?"

"I…I do not know," her face was ashen as she stared past him out the viewport, "It is something wrong—horribly wrong—and we did not get there in time. And now…now, it is too late…"

"Tenel Ka," he was worried now, "look at me." He took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes, "what are we too late for? What happened?"

"It was…as if many people…suddenly cried out in terror…and were suddenly silenced. Someone said it was 'too late' for…someone…someone we know…"

"But who? Who's it too late for? For what?"

"That, my friend, is what I am not sure of. But it is bad. Very bad…"

Chewbacca decided that enough was _enough_. He was _leaving_! He had to get Leia out—he _did _owe her a life-debt—soon, before something horrible happened. If Leia were hurt, Han would _never_ forgive him. Okay, maybe _Han _would forgive him, but Chewbacca would never forgive _himself _if anything happened to the little Alderaanian Princess. And now it wasn't just empty hopes that promoted this turn of thought in the Wookiee. Now, he had a plan. A simple one, yes, but that was fine. This way it wasn't too complicated. 

That, the Wookiee knew, should be a weakness of Fett's. Since it _was _so simple and plain, the bounty hunter—whom everyone knew was a complicated (if twisted) genius. The simpler it was, the harder Fett should find it to stop them. Now all he had to do was figure out the last steps—such as getting them _off _the station after he rescued himself and Leia. 

__

How, he wondered, _would he accomplish this feat. _The only ship he knew for certain was here was Fett's…whatever number it was now. Alvtorr _might _have one, but Chewie wasn't going to bet on that. If what he knew from the last time he'd run into the twisted Dark Jedi, even if he _had_ a ship, it might not be in any condition to _fly_.

Chewie knew the tales about Fett's numerous spaceships. They were impossible to enter; their security systems had enough fire power to wipe out an army—should it try to enter without proper code authorization; the ship itself was alive and would only allow Boba Fett or his prisoners to enter; they went on and on. Chewie _knew_ for a fact that some of them _had _to be fabrications, which made him all the less inclined to trust the others. He was confident he could crack the codes. After all, if Chewie could crack the high-level Imperial codes he and Han had dealt with back in their smuggling days, surely he could deal with some _bounty hunter's_! Besides, he'd have a Jedi _and _a Chief-of-State that just _happened _to be one of the Rebellion's greatest heroes to help him out! 

* * *

Chewbacca had to wait so long that he found himself awakening with a start at the slimy cackle of Ras Alvtorr as he came in to "check"—actually gloat—on his prisoner. Chewbacca's lips curled into a feral smile. Well, he wouldn't be a prisoner for long…

"Alright," sighed Chewie resignedly, "I've decided to cooperate. Take me there." He hoped that his gamble would work—luckily, if Alvtorr hadn't changed too much since Chewie had known him, it should. 

"Eh?" Alvtorr glanced about as if seeking something, "take you where, my hairy little friend?"

__

Don't call me "friend", Chewbacca though menacingly, but continued: "To the other prisoner, of course! You've been trying to get me there forever…don't you remember?"

"Huh? What? Oh, yes, of course! I, uh, thought you meant something else, er, _new_, you know?" Alvtorr continued, but Chewbacca was no longer listening.

He waited impatiently for the foul Dark Jedi to unlock his cell and docilely allowed himself to be lead out. He followed—meekly, very meekly—in his trail until they were out of the cell room, then…

He _leaped_! With a roar of Wookiee anger, Chewbacca jumped to Alvtorr's back, tackling him. The Dark Jedi went down—_hard_! Chewie was on him in a moment, teeth bared, claws extended, and _sliced _to his head knocking it _hard_. Alvtorr's eyeballs rolled back in his sockets and the Dark Jedi's head bobbed weakly. Chewie stood, and prepared to _jump_ and crush Alvtorr with his full-grown Wookiee weight, but blue lightning sent him flying. Chewie landed, moaning on the floor with an _oof_, but scrambled to his feet and prepared to leap at Ras Alvtorr and tear him limb from limb if he had to. 

Alvtorr stood up, eyes flashing, practically spitting lightning. "How _dare _you—how _dare you_!" he was practically incoherent with anger—but that didn't stop his powers, rather, it increased them. Dark Jedi lightning engulfed the Wookiee and Chewbacca roared with pain. Again, and again, and again, and again, and…

He wasn't sure how long it went on before a voice stopped it. By then all he could see was red and the tears of pain that dripped from his eyes. All he knew was that it stopped. 

"Are you planning to kill him, now?"

"What? No, no, I am _punishing _him! Yes, for his…his…"

"Unless that punishment includes the Wookiee's death, you'd best stop." 

"But…but…I'm not going to _kill _him…he's too valuable for _that_…I'm just…"

"If you do not stop, you _will _kill him."

"But…"

"I do not bring the dead back to life for any bounty, Alvtorr."

"I…I'm just…you…well, then…take him back to his cell—and see that he does not escape again!"

By this time Chewbacca could hardly hear anything but the roaring in his ears. Slowly the pain faded into blackness and Chewbacca was alone once more…


	11. Chapter Eleven

****

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"Ras Alvtorr—"

"I do not wish to speak with you."

"Alvtorr—"

"I do not wish to speak with you!"

"Alvtorr—"

"Go away! I will not speak with you!"

"You do not have to. Now listen."

"No! No, I won't! I won't I won't I won't!" Alvtorr stamped his foot in a childish display of temper and his eyes flared with lightning. 

"I have learned that the children of Solo and their friends seek their parents."

"So? Let them look! They're _children_! They're useless! They won't find anything—"

"The children of Solo are more resourceful than that. I am going to find and stop them."

"Fine! Do whatever you wish! Just do not allow the Wookiee to escape again! Fail me once more…"

"I cannot stop you from being a fool. Do what you wish. If you let the Wookiee out again, that is not my problem." Fett turned on one booted heel and stalked from the room.

"Well—fine! Go! Leave! I don't need _you_! Not at all! Go! Get out! _Leave_!"

Fett continued his exit as if he hadn't heard anything. 

"Get out! Go away!" Alvtorr screamed and fumed futilely. He turned and grabbed the small, heavy statue from a table and flung it at the departing bounty hunter. It tangled in his long robes and he pitched to the floor. After cursing and raging futilely, he fought to his feet and stormed off to sulk.

* * *

The _Slave VII _lifted off in search of the Solo children…

* * *

"Zekk! Get up here—now!" the sleeping young man tumbled off his bunk and had his boots on his feet and shirt buttoned before his eyes were opened. He scrambled to the cockpit rubbing sleep from his eyes. 

"Wha—" he swallowed and tried again, "What's the matter?"

"Quick—shields up!" Without question, Zekk complied, flicking the switch and sliding into the co-pilot's seat. 

"What is it?" he tried again, scanning the instrument panel—and got his answer. A boogey at 2 o'clock—coming in faster than most ships could, and…"Smeggin' Kest!"

"Yep. I was right?"

"Sure were," Zekk cursed, "it's him alright."

"Sithspawned cross-bred slimy piece of worm-ridden filth!"

"Yeah—but can we do that _later_? Now—how about we try and keep from having to shoot it out with him? No matter how many modifications we've packed into this hulk, I don't know if we should pit her against the _Slave_…whatever smeggin' number it is!"

"Good point…now let's show this scum who he's messing with!" Jaina's face curled into an expression reminiscent of her father's when he was determined to show someone how good he was—and the smile was not altogether a pleasant one! 

The two quickly exchanged places—they were both good pilots _and _gunners, but Zekk knew his ship better, and could tell how far he could reasonably push her. 

"Well, copilot—may the Force be with you!" quickly, the two powered up their systems and prepared to intercept.

Well, they _thought _they were prepared to intercept. That illusion was shattered when the _Slave VII _vanished. 

"Huh? Where did that son of a—"

"Zekk! Look out! Coming in at 6 o'clock!"

Instinctively Zekk jerked the _Lightning Rod _up and away from Fett's fire. "Smeg," he cursed, "that was close—whoa!"

Boba Fett pulled his ship into a barrel roll and came out shooting, flying directly at the _Lighting Rod_. Zekk spun his ship to port and the _Slave VII _blew past, turbolasers bristling. Zekk turned the _Lighting Rod_ in an abrupt about-face to give chase. Jaina's laserfire tracked across the void towards the _Slave VII_ that cut down and to starboard, coming up to the side of the _Lighting Rod _and almost out of rang from Jaina's guns.

Almost—she fired repeatedly at the _Slave VII_ with the ship's starboard turbolasers. Fett pulled into a double barrel roll and the _Lighting Rod_ shuddered from the repeated blasts. 

"Jaina! Shoot him already!"

"I'm trying—if you weren't shaking the ship so much I would!"

"If I don't dodge he'll cream us!"

"Well don't do it when I have a perfect shot!"

"Shoot faster!"

"Fly straighter!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

The two subsided into a tense silence—interspersed with a few colorful descriptions—as they fought desperately to survive this high-intensity space battle…

"I got him, I got him—" Jaina began gleefully as a small explosion on the outer hull of the _Slave VII_ gave testimony that his shield's had failed—

Or at least it would have in any other ship. But Jaina's next volley still encountered the shields…somehow.

"How the Smeg did he do that…" _a backup maybe?_ she wondered in confusion.

"Jaina, we got trouble!"

"His shields died, but then they came back up. That's impossible…"  
"Jaina, that wasn't his shields dying! That was him firing a Dymek concussion missile!"

"_What_? But those things are so illegal they cost more than the entire—"

"Do you honestly think he cares if their legal or not? Besides, now is _not _the time to start debating legalities—we're about to—"

A very large _boom_ broke Zekk's words off, and sent the small ship tumbling through space. 

"Zekk! What was _that_?" Their fingers flew over the controls, bypassing broken systems, trying to get a damage assessment, setting circuitry repairs in motion with one hand and flying or shooting with the other.

"Jaina—he hit us! The Dymek was a decoy—I dodged it—right _into _his missile!"

"What kind?"

"A missile—just a plain old missile—but it's still _deadly_, and I'd appreciate a little more tactical help and a little less mechanical assessing!"  
"I'm trying to figure out how bad—"

"Look at the console—it's bad. Really bad." Zekk pulled the _Lightning Rod_ into a barrel roll to escape another blast.

"Ouch. It _is_…. Zekk, how much more of this pounding can she _take_?"  
"I don't know…but I don't want to find out!"

"Good idea. So: What are we gonna _do_ about it?"

"Good news: I've got a plan. Bad news: I have no clue how to pull it off…"

* * *

In the cockpit of the _Slave VII_ Boba Fett watched the _Lighting Rod _with a hunter's eye. He could tell that the two had to be planning something—either that or their ship suffered a "_Millennium Falcon_ Complex"—no working hyperdrive. He doubted that. 

Behind the dark visor of his helmet, Boba Fett's eyes narrowed…abruptly, he reached behind the pilot's chair and flipped a hidden panel open. He toggled a switch on and guided a tracker-circle across his viewport until it landed on the hovering and dodging _Lighting Rod_. He flipped the switch the full way down and a light bleeped. The whole process had taken a matter of seconds.

And now…his comm buzzed with static and he made a minor adjustment. Suddenly, he could hear the young Jedi Knights.

What Fett had done was sliced into their console computer—gambling that they would be so busy they wouldn't notice—and remotely turning on their comm. Until they noticed and switched it off manually, he could eavesdrop on them. He rarely employed it—usually, of course, there was little need. But Fett had run into these Jedi brats before—and he knew that they could be very resourceful. He decided, for now, to lean towards the side of caution. It cost his ship little power and almost no shield strength—he doubted he would need it all. But, if he would, this way he would know about it before it was needed. Depending, of course, on what the two said. 

Silence was not just to hide information or intimidate others. It could also be employed in eavesdropping. Since there was rarely any sounds from Boba Fett, a sudden comm-blocker would not be noticed…nor would his listening in. 

"Won't he exp…tha…and will…but…" Fett frowned in annoyance and slightly recalibrated the equipment he used for receiving. The battle must have damaged it slightly—knocked it off balance. He would have to adjust that later.

"I see, Zekk. But how to pull it off?" That would be Solo's daughter. The mechanical one with the violet lightsaber. Took after her mother with her leadership capabilities. And her father with her mouth and recklessness. One to watch carefully. 

"That's easy! We just have to trick him." And that was the former bounty hunter and reformed Dark Jedi. Naive and overconfident of his powers. Also perhaps still doubting his use of the mystical "Force" from his days under Brakiss at the Shadow Academy. Fett would have to investigate that more fully. If his sources were correct—and they rarely were not—he had recently constructed a lightsaber; one of an orange hue. He and Solo's daughter seemed to have a romantic status. That could be used against them; love was more than a useless emotion, it was something that got you killed much easier and a whole lot faster. 

"And just _how_ do you think we'll do _that_? He's a little bit smarter than some ordinary criminal, you know." Hmm. She also seemed to assess her opponents without Jedi-overconfidence like the Zekk.

"Oh, easy. Here, let me explain…" As Zekk outlined his plans, Boba Fett shook his helmeted head over the simpleness and inexperience of the youth. Even without his advantage of knowing exactly what they were planning, he never would have fallen for something so simple. Yet another weakness he could exploit. 

These two would be rather simple to eliminate for all their so-called Force-talent…but Boba Fett didn't want them _dead_—not yet, at least. He wanted them out of the way—but alive. Based on their abilities from earlier encounters and his intelligence sources, those two would survive what he had planned. If they didn't, _too bad_. It wouldn't brake his heart (if he still had one)—and Fett always had more than _one _play in every hand. 

Now, to play the Jedi for fools…rather tricky considering they could sense deception and lies. Tricky, but not impossible. 

Where Boba Fett was concerned, _nothing_ was impossible.


End file.
